The Consequences of Unyielding Will
by LogicalPremise
Summary: The Third Hokage dies stopping Orochimaru before he can defect, leaving Danzo a much freer hand to do as he pleases, and in the aftermath of the Kyuubi Attack, nothing stopping him from his long-held goals of being Hokage and strengthening the Leaf Village. Yet Danzo finds himself having to alter his plans again and again, and ultimately having to stand in the light he so despises.
1. Opening

_**A/N:** Detailed author's note at the bottom.  
_

 _Interested in seeing responses._

 _Don't own the Naruto series or any characters, if I did, there would be Icha Icha Anko Ino Mud Fight Edition in the omake._

* * *

The smoke rising into the air, visible like a dirty smudge above the treetops, outlined against the brilliant blue of the sky, shredded slightly in the rising wind. Cherry blossoms from the trees fluttered in the rising wind, which carried the smell of the smoke and of something else, dark and fell. No bird sang, no animal moved through the forest, only the wind, and the smell of smoke and death.

Danzo suppressed a grimace as four of his personal ROOT ninja circled the area slowly, using wind chakra and sensing ninjutsu to see if anything was approaching. The initial report from the single panicked ANBU had been disjointed enough to be nigh incomprehensible, but the major points were not promising.

The morning had started out normally, with Danzo presenting the final report on the activities of Orochimaru. Hiruzen had looked both disgusted and defeated, and when Danzo had pressed him about apprehending his student, gave him a look of deep sadness and something else.

But he did not order the ANBU into action, much to Danzo's disgust. Instead, he wrote up a number of scrolls, sealing each one, and then around noon, left his office and had eaten his lunch quietly with Minato Namikaze at a ramen stand, and told the boy 'farewell'.

After that, the flaring chakra and sight of flames and lightning had drawn the ANBU to this spot.

Danzo already knew what he would find, yet found it hard to take the final steps. With a deep breath, he did so.

Stepping beyond the last of the treeline, the old shinobi entered the clearing, or what was once a clearing and now looked more akin to a abattoir crossed with a meteor strike. The shattered remains of some kind of underground bunker were exposed to the sky, set off here and there by titanic spears of earth and glowing piles of ash. The trees to the north were splintered and smoking, and the clearing itself was smote as if by Kami himself. Blood and some other white, milky fluid, along with large numbers of snake-like appendages, were scattered around the remains of other, more titanic jutsu – broken demonic looking gates, barbed ramparts of earth. Mud and water littered areas and sinkholes in the ground, while more trees in the distance had been reduced to kindling.

Laying on the ground, with a smashed knee and horrific, jagged holes still smoldering with fire, was the remains of Orochimaru, his Grass Cutter sword shattered mid-blade a few feet away, stained with blood. His form had a corrupted sheen to it, the skin pale and waxy, and the wounds littering the body were vicious and numerous. Some spilled blood, others spilled white fluids, and still others revealed scales instead of skin where the jonin uniform had been burned or torn away.

About ten feet away, leaning up against a shard of upthrust rock, was the equally damaged form of Hiruzen, his robes missing, dressed in his black battle armor one last time.

ANBU and medic-nins reached the clearing, the latter rushing for the form of the Hokage, but with a shaking wave of one bloodstained hand, Hiruzen gestured them away. His voice was a torn, tired whisper. "It is … too late to do anything for me. The poison of the Grass Cutter has no cure and no antidote. Attend to … the traitor." He looked over to Danzo. "My friend...come here."

Danzo slowly approached, expression blank. He came to a stop in front of Hiruzen, chuckling to himself at the sight of the pipe the man was smoking. "Hiru. Even in death, you have time for a smoke."

Sarutobi's bloodied features looked up, the lines of his face deep and filled with despair, one eye missing and seeping blood. "Ah...Danzo. It won't kill me .. any more than I am already facing." He hacked up a gobbet of black blood, wiping his lips on the back of his torn robes, before taking another draw from his pipe. "It...appears you were right about him...and wrong about my weakness."

Danzo's jaw clenched, holding back his emotions tightly. "You stupid monkey. You didn't need to throw your life away! Why did you not send for help?" Memories of Hiruzen volunteering to delay the ninjas of Kumo when the Second had given up his own life flashed before his mind.

Hiruzen's slow, tired exhale was weaker. "My...fault. Like you .. said. So I had to clean it up. I almost...let him go. But I could … not." A flicker of a smile appeared on the bloodied lips. "You should be proud of me … after so many lectures...about weakness..." The last trailed into another hacking cough.

Danzo glanced at the ANBU, who with a quick motion indicated no signs that anyone else had escaped. The medic nins were already examining Orochimaru's body, shuddering in disgust as they found something with the mythical palm jutsu. Danzo turned back to Hiruzen. "The boy, Minato. He is not ready."

Hiruzen's smile was sad. "Nor was I, Danzo." His free hand gripped the others arm. "P-promise me...old friend. Guide him. Help .. him. Don't .. .. don't... "

Danzo winced as the man sagged, blood spilling from his lips, and sighed. "Do not worry. I will ensure the Will of Fire burns strongly. If he is your choice …" He sneered at the corpse of Orochimaru … "then, unlike others you thought so highly of, I can at least respect that, and the boy's strength. I will not contest him."

Hiruzen nodded, a glimmer of gratitude in his remaining eye. "...good." He smirked, as his last bit of strength gave away. "You...always complained...but... I trust you … you..." He grimaced in agony, swallowing back blood. "...what was... I … to you..?"

Danzo found the words he knew the other needed to hear, damn his softness. "Your friend, Hiro."

Hiruzen gave a final smile of peace, and slumped, his breathing turning into a rasp. Danzo let his eyes close, bowing his head, as the final rattle of his battle brother's death sounded in the damp summer air. After several seconds, he somehow found his voice, turning to the ANBU.

"The Third Hokage has fallen in battle. Per the Third's last instructions, we must prepare the Hokage Candidate and secure the village. I am taking command of the ANBU for the moment. Rat, have Minato Namikaze report to the Hokage Tower at once. Boar, Otter, Raven – establish a defensive perimeter around the medic nins as they prepare the Third for transport. Seal, Lion, Pig – each of you find one of the ANBU captains and deploy the defenses. Rooster, Hawk – deploy a hunter-nin squad internally. Gather up Orochimaru's apprentice, any chunin or genin he has instructed, and secure his housing and labs."

The ANBU flickered into motion, and Danzo gestured to one of his own ROOT hidden in the treeline to send word back to his own people, and to the other a more complex sign, signaling for the rest of ROOT to snap up any useful research in the other, secret facilities Orochimaru maintained. He cursed the fool for acting as he did – all Orochimaru had to do was follow simple rules and he could have had the power he wanted, in return for helping Danzo secure the Leaf. Now...

He sighed, watching his ROOT acknowledge his signals and flicker away. Danzo turned to the lead medic-nin, the young Nono Yakushi – who was also secretly one of his people. "You have the necessary scrolls, Captain?"

She nodded, removing the black-bordered scroll from her backpack. "I do, Shimura-dono."

He nodded curtly. "I will deal with the Council and the Daimyo. Ensure he is carried back in honor."

She adjusted the position of her glasses atop her narrow nose, the sunlight making them gleam for a moment as she did so, her voice soft. "And the body of Orochimaru, lord?"

Danzo paused to look at the corpse, the remains of Orochimaru's face still in a expression of astonished horror. After a long second he turned away, his voice grating out across the clearing.

"Burn it."

O-DANZOSAMA-O

Danzo sat in the Hokage's seat, staring hard at the man across the desk from him. Minato was very young, his cerulean eyes and messy golden hair giving him the aura of some kind of lesser kami in the shaft of sunlight coming in through the window.

 _Perhaps that is an omen,_ Danzo thought. With a sigh, he straightened. "You have already heard the news."

Minato nodded somberly. "Sandaime-sama is dead at the hands of Orochimaru." His fists clenched. "I wish he'd not done this by himself."

Danzo's expression did not change. "To be the Fire Shadow is to protect all under your gaze, Minato. The decisions made must be owned, and he did what he felt best." He hardened his tone. "And he did not leave unprepared."

Minato swallowed. "I see. Why … am I here? I know all the rumors that the Hokage was close to picking his heir, but everyone knew it would be Orochimaru – what happened?" The anguish and confusion in the boy's voice made Danzo wince internally at the weakness.

Danzo exhaled, his fingers tracing the wood of Hiruzen's desk. "Orochimaru acted as he did for a reason. You have stated what is known. What is not known to all is the truth – Hiruzen had determined already who the Hokage designate would be – you."

Minato's eyes widened. "But – "

Danzo cut him off. "Orochimaru was engaged in illegal research, but apparently thought he had kept such secret. I had already informed the Hokage of such … disgusting research, which was the final straw. There were other reasons why you were chosen over him, and it is now clear Orochimaru knew he would not be picked and had decided to flee the village after gathering a final few bits of research."

Danzo met Minato's gaze. "Hiruzen resolved to stop him. He wrote a final writ of his will, formally naming you his heir … and, after eating lunch with you, he went off to correct the mistakes of his student once and for all."

He leaned back, examining the young man more closely. "His final wish was for you to follow him as Hokage. As such, your ascension will be announced tomorrow. But before that happens you and I need to come to an understanding." He grimaced. "I suspect Hiruzen would have been better at this, but we have no time in our vulnerability for niceties."

Minato's eyes narrowed. "What is it that you speak of, Danzo-sama?"

Danzo gestured to the map of the Elemental Countries on the wall. "I speak of making you understand what you are stepping into. I speak of the task of the Hokage, which is more than stacks of paperwork. I speak of war and peace, boy. I speak of Konaha's position, of the next Great Ninja War, and of the sacrifices of its people."

The old shinobi inclined his head. "It is a common belief – if incorrect – that somehow 'peace' magically happens if we only wish hard enough. The truth is more cruel. Peace is that time when there is no will for war. If it were a natural occurrence, then endless vigilance on the part of the shinobi would not be needed, but such does not exist."

Minato frowned. "You should already know my feelings on this. War is … an unhappy occurrence. It derives from those who value power more than lives. We cannot fear it, but we must not encourage it."

Danzo snorted. "Ah, yes, the fabled dream of Jiraya." His eyes flicked up to meet those of Minato. "Tell me, do you think Iwa is feeling very peaceful now? Kumo, perhaps? Is Kiri in love with us?"

Minato shrugged. "The mistakes of others is no reason to allow one's self to go astray."

Danzo snorted. "Such five ryo wisdom. Let me be more clear. A Hokage is not merely a political leader, or a war leader, or an inspiration. They must make choices, often ugly ones, that affect more than just the village, or even the Fire Nation. Wrong choices in the past have lead to events that we barely survived."

He met the boy's eyes again. "Jiraya wants to believe that peace is a goal, that if we can somehow simply eliminate hatred that it will come about. Jiraya refuses to grasp the reality – the ninja world is one of violence, of assassination, of subterfuge. That is not the basis of peace – our entire economy and world view is on the kunai in the dark, of blood spilled over lies and misdirection."

Minato sourly nodded. "I dislike your words, elder. But I do not gainsay them. Instead, I say we must be careful and defend ourselves, and do not encourage weakness that tempts evil men into attacking. But that is far different than starting wars ourselves."

Danzo gave him a look of veiled disappointment. "You speak words that run counter to the reality of the ninja world, Minato. Let me provide you an example. If you were to discover a powerful weapon – an ultimate jutsu, or a potent bloodline limit – that was potentially in enemy hands, but could be turned to ours, what would you do?"

Minato frowned, then shrugged. "I would attempt to gain it for the Leaf, both to strengthen us and to make sure it was not abused by those with lesser scruples."

Danzo nodded. "Exactly. There is not only the gain for us, but – as you put it – the prevention of those who value power more than lives from gaining more power."

He stood, pushing back the chair. "And yet, your sensei says that is the wrong answer. Jiraya chooses to misunderstand what I say because he is besotted with prophecy and foresight from his summons, deciding to ignore conflicting prophesies from the snakes, eagles, slugs, and dogs. He is in so in love with peace the fool nearly got us all destroyed."

Minato frowned. "What do you mean?"

Danzo smiled coldly. "My earlier scenario was not some random question. Have you ever wondered why Jiraya was never selected by Hiruzen to be Hokage?"

Minato frowned. "I...don't know."

Danzo grimaced. "Some time ago, a boy was discovered by Jiraya, possessing what he reported seemed to be the mythical Rinnegan. Do you know what your sensei decided to do about such a thing, boy? Did he bring the child in question to the Leaf? Did he confirm the Rinnegan's abilities? NO!"

The old ninja whirled. "He abandoned his team and duties to instead help the boy survive. He trained the boy and his fool companions – and sent them back to Rain, to HANZO of all people. They formed an organization to attempt to protect Ame from the wars raging around it, and in time they were powerful enough to attract Hanzo's attention. Hanzo was within inches of being able to have the _Rinnegan_ under his control and command."

Minato looked horrified. "Hanzo says he's for peace but he... kami, with that kind of power he would have launched invasions against all the neighboring countries to provide himself with buffer room against wars between the Great Nations."

Danzo nodded. "Exactly." He exhaled. "We discovered this only by accident. Jiraya, the fool, had not even bothered to see what this Rinnegan bearer had done with his training. When we found out, we had little time to prepare and intervene. A force of ninja had to ensure such a thing did not happen, using any possible means. The catastrophe was prevented. The boy and Hanzo are now at each others throats, and no matter who wins, Rain ultimately loses."

Danzo faced Minato squarely. "But such missions can never be linked to Konoha. Not the ANBU, not even ANBU Captains or Black Ops, can be used for such missions. Hiruzen authorized me to command a subjection of special ANBU troops – taken as orphans, trained from birth to suppress emotions, conditioned against interrogation and sealed to protect our secrets. This is ROOT. The foundation of the darker side of the Will of Fire."

Minato's eyes narrowed but he said nothing. Danzo smiled thinly. "Hiruzen...and his presentation of the will of Fire … was the light. That duty and sacrifice are nothing without love – for the village, for its people and its ideals, for the legacy of the Senju and the other clans who risked so much to bring this about. That fire is bright, and warm – it comforts and burns to illuminate the darkness."

The old man looked at the portrait of Hashirama on the wall. "But no light can be without darkness, and fire consumes as well as warms. ROOT does the things we must do and yet cannot do. It performs the missions that are too negative to ever be associated with Kohona. And if it is ever penetrated and revealed, it can have no official sanction – you must act as if I am rogue and engage and destroy me and all my works."

Minato shuddered. "The details are probably disturbing. But why are you telling me this?"

Danzo squared his shoulders. "Because ROOT cannot operate without the compliance of the Hokage. I will not lie. Despite your combat power, your rasengan and your hirashin, I do not think you are ready to be the Hokage. You have no background in economics or politics. You have no family, no clan, no wealth. Your reputation is one of a blood-soaked killer who was willing to sacrifice his own team to distract Iwa from a target, even if said team doesn't realize this is why they went on that mission yet. We will not even discuss the blatant stupidity of your relationship with Kushina and how that risks the entire village should she become pregnant."

Danzo stepped closer. "Yet Hiruzen chose you. He was …" A long pause. "...he was my friend. We disagreed on the direction and course of events in the village, on the Council, on the status of … Kushina. I accused him of weakness, he accused me of heartlessness, and there were times we hated each other and acted against each other. But ultimately, Hiruzen was my Hokage. I served him willingly … and he did not ignore my contributions."

Danzo folded his arms. "You, as Hokage, could certainly instruct me to disband and shut down ROOT. But if you do that, then you are telling me you are unwilling to take the sort of steps a Hokage should be able to take. I cannot stop you from such an order, but I can bend every bit of my political influence to challenge you and interfere with your plans. And I can point out situations like the one Jiraya caused, ones that you would have no other way to stop without ROOT."

He smiled. "Your first choice as Hokage is to decide how you wish to play the game."

Minato kept his expression blank, nodding a moment later. "Ah. If I go along with you kidnapping and brainwashing kids into killing machines, you will support me for Hokage. And then, having done that, I will be beholden to you, and let you keep ROOT going. If I try to order it shut down you will cause me all sorts of problems."

Danzo nodded. "This is not ambition. I am not getting younger … and I will never sit in that chair again, to lead the village. It .. is for the best. The light is no place for me or mine. It is for you, and for those who stand with you. But do not be the sort of fool your sensei was, who suggested I was monitoring Orochimaru because I hated him, or that he was blameless of any wrongdoing." Danzo's voice turned bitter. "Hiruzen is dead because of such blandishments, blinding him until it was too late."

Minato swallowed at that. He adored Jiraya, and he had often listened to the wisdom of the Toads, and the dream of a world at peace was one he wanted so badly. And yet …

He looked at Danzo, at the iron-hard planes of the man's face, at the hair not yet turning gray despite his age, and had an epiphany. Danzo would not oppose him, for whatever reasons, but he would not support him if he stopped his ambitions. He would probably sway Hiruzen's old teammates, the more influential of the civilian Councilors, maybe even some of the Clan Heads.

ROOT, from the tiny tidbit he had just been told, was sickening. But so was forcing children to stab other children with kunai, to force them to become child soldiers instead of playing and enjoying their youth. Perhaps the entire ninja world was sick, and peace was only what happened when the lands needed time to rest for the next killing.

He was too young to know. With a sigh and a grimace, the man's blue eyes met the older man's eyes steadily. "I hate it, and what you are making me do. But I will not … oppose ROOT." His voice hardened. "But understand this: I don't want any sort of questionable 'accidents' either. Keep your recruits limited to orphans."

Danzo shrugged. "That was my intention all along. I do not think all ninja need to be emotionless killers … but you must have a force of them. ANBU is not suitable for normal people in the long term. The more you stay out of the light the less you can comprehend it, and eventually they become dysfunctional."

Minato nodded. "Yeah, well. What does that say about you, then?" He rose. "I will tell Kushina...and I'll meet you here in the morning to speak with the Council. I appreciate your candor, even if I hate the necessity."

Danzo gave a shallow nodded. "Very well... Minato-dono. You may hate the necessity all you like, as long as you retain the wisdom to know it is necessary."

Minato said nothing as he left, and Danzo smiled sadly, turning back to the desk of the Hokage. His voice was slow and quiet. "I won't oppose him, old friend. But he is not ready, and when he falls, I will lead this village to where it needs to be. No matter the cost."

* * *

 ** _Author's Notes and Details:_**

 _I've never seen a story where the Third actually deals with Orochimaru at the time of his sickshit, so I decided to make a stab at it.  
_

 _Changes that this entails:_

 _\- He has the arm of Shin Uchiha, but did not trust Orochimaru to implant it. Currently it is not being used, in a stasis seal._

 _\- No Yamato (the bunker destroyed contained the experiments, and the Third did not realize there was a single survivor. The bunker is collapsed and the baby is dead_

 _\- Pretty much everything else UP to that point is the same as in canon._

 _This is a side project to my Mass Effect work, so it may or may not get updated rapidly, depending on my energy level. It is obviously going to be highly AU, but don't expect any of the following : harem crap, Naruto gaining dojutsu/eyes/tails/made up bullshit, Danzo to act stupid, or conventional pairings. The early demise of the Third affects Minato heavily, but things still shake out pretty much the same in most regards._

 _I will also state that my ninja battles mostly consist of trickery, placement, and rapid kills, not monologues or talk no jutsu._


	2. Opportunity

_**A/N:** Detailed author's note at the bottom.  
_

 _Interested in seeing responses._

 _Don't own the Naruto series or any characters, if I did, there would be no insane monologues in every single freaking fight.  
_

* * *

 _Two years later …_

Danzo sat bonelessly in the Hokage's chair, his good hand clutching his head. The screams of the wounded – or those driven insane by youkai – reached him even here, mixed in with the faint sound of crying, the rumble of earth techniques being used to shift rubble, and the faint boom of water techniques to put out the still raging fires. A huge swath of the forest was simply gone, a huge scar six miles long still radiating enough demonic chakra to kill a normal man in minutes.

The Kyuubi was gone.

The village still stood, but without a Hokage.

Whatever Minato had done to stop the beast seemed to have worked, but not before hundreds of ninja were killed and many civilians destroyed. His own wife was among the dead. His only remaining son was alive but badly injured. He himself had very nearly been killed, with one arm barely working and his right eye not seeing much of anything.

He clenched his fist as the image of his wife flashed in his mind's eye, then forced himself to relax, exhaling sharply. Anger – emotion – instinct reactions – these solved nothing, and weakened both a shinobi's resolve and their greatest weapon, their intellect.

He knew, intellectually, that his anger at Minato was unfair. There had to be a container for the Kyuubi, and the list of candidates for such a job was very short. If Kushina got much older she would not have survived the stress of childbirth combined with the stress of being a jinchuriki – even by thirty she might not have survived, not even counting the chance of enemy action killing her. If not Minato, another would have eventually gotten her pregnant.

After all, there were no more Uzumaki, and who knew if any other beings could survive having the Ninth sealed into them. No one would be likely to volunteer to try.

But Minato, Danzo, even the Council had understood this! Every precaution had been taken, everything had been prepared – and for nothing.

The village had been wrecked by blasts of fire and wind, and thousands were dead. Smoke still rose high into the sky, from where the Kyuubi's blast had destroyed a section of the forest and ended the lives of hundreds of ninja. It would take years to recover from the physical devastation, but the other effects were even worse. Kami knew how many had been driven into catatonia or insanity by the killing intent of the beast, or would suffer years of nightmares and reduced capabilities. The demonic taint left lingering in the air had already killed off hundreds of house pets and had sickened many of the animals in the forest around Kohona.

In the coming days, there was no guarantee they would survive. In the world of the shinobi, weakness and vulnerability meant opportunity and death.

He stilled himself with an another effort, resolving not to think about the losses, personal or to the village. He could and would mourn later. For now, he had to act. With a grimace he forced his only remaining eye to open, glaring up at the battered, bloodied figure standing before him.

Kagami Uchiha, his old teammate, had managed to escape any severe damage, although his flak jacket was melted in a long line near his stomach. Of all the Uchiha, Kagami was the only one Danzo had any trust in. The rest of the clan, in his opinion, was a time bomb waiting to happen, particularly the arrogant Fugaku, who'd challenged Kagami for leadership of the clan multiple times. Kagami was one of the few not in ROOT who was fully aware of the program – he made use of it from time to time himself, having ROOT solve certain problems for the Uchiha and allowing Danzo to take two young Uchiha into his ranks himself.

Unlike most of his cowardly clan, who'd been busy 'protecting the populace', Kagami had been on the front lines right alongside Danzo and the other elders, fighting to contain the Kyuubi until the Fourth could defeat and seal the beast. When it had been teleported away, only Kagami – with his mastery of the shunshin and his eyes – had been fast enough to get to the site where the beast had gone down, along with their Hokage.

Danzo eyed the man, frowning at what he held in his hands. In said hands was the form of a tiny, blond haired child, forced into sleep by way of a simple jutsu, still wrapped in a soft blue blanket. Faint whisker like markings decorated each cheek, while a fell sort of energy still emitted from the complex seal on the child's belly, slowly fading as the minutes ticked by.

With a long sigh, Danzo gave what passed for a nod. "So. You survived. I presume that is the new container?"

Kagami nodded. "Yes. His own child. Kami forbid Minato use someone else's kid. Then again, the kid was right there, so maybe he was rushed for time. I've examined the seal already – complex, but tight. It is stable for the moment, but you probably want Homura or that fool Jiraya to look over the sealing details. I am no sealing master, but the fact that demon chakra is circulating through the boy's system can't be good. No idea if there is a key...didn't see one."

Danzo rubbed his fingers across the battle scar on his chin. "I see. The boy's entire status makes for a gigantic target. Last Uzumaki, jinchuriki of the most powerful of the tailed beasts, and Minato's son?" He paused, musing. "We'll deal with that in a bit. What of the battle? From a distance it looked like Minato sealed it – the Kyuubi – away into himself."

Kagami nodded. "Oh, he did. Just not all of it. You probably want to send your men to examine the scene of the battle, but …" The Uchiha gave him a sour, sardonic smile. "There were two witnesses, old friend. I already got what information I needed from them. The Hokage sealed part of the beast into the boy, the rest into himself."

Danzo nodded. "I see. Who are these witnesses?" He could not allow such information to leak out …

Kagami shrugged. "Doesn't really matter, since I already killed them both. A branch Hyuuga and a clanless. Both chunin. I was able to conceal the boy before anyone else saw, even that worthless nephew of mine." He paused, looking out the window over the village. "It was...just luck. A few more meters to the right or left and I'd have been dead, then who knows who would have gotten to the child first?"

Danzo nodded, even as one of his ROOT servants appeared at the window, coming in a moment later, blood soaked and limping. "Danzo-sama, initial reports."

Danzo glanced at Kagami, then shrugged. The man already knew the truth anyway. "Proceed, Dagger."

The ninja knelt, his matte-black clothing a contrast to that of most Kohona forces. "I have confirmed Minato Namikaze and the previous Kyuubi container are both dead. They appear to have died in the restraint and resealing of the Kyuubi into the child. Marks on the body of Minato would indicate at least some portion of the Kyuubi was sealed away into his body."

Danzo inclined his head. "This I know. Continue."

The ninja paused. "Sealing teams One, Two, and Three have managed to seal away and store at least some of the loose chakra of the Kyuubi. Recovery Team One has obtained two sets of main branch Hyuuga eyes." The ninja glanced at Kagami hesitantly before continuing. "A set of functional Sharingan was also obtained from a dead Uchiha, Sesmon."

Kagami snorted. "He was a weakling. While I'm not surprised he died – probably from fear – I'm astonished he ever even activated the Sight. You can have those eyes, Danzo."

Danzo nodded. Trust the Uchiha patriarch to be a coldly pragmatic sort. "Continue. Losses?"

Dagger withdrew a scroll. "Two thousand eight hundred plus civilians killed, and at least a thousand have been damaged by youkai. Of the civilian losses, four hundred sixty three were children under the age of five – the killing intent simply stopped their hearts. We estimate another thirty six hundred civilians will have mental trauma. Of the main forces, eleven genin, two hundred sixteen chunin, and one hundred ninety eight jonin are dead. Of the ANBU, one hundred and twenty seven chunin, two hundred sixteen special jonin and two hundred fourteen jonin died. Of the ROOT, thirty six jonin are dead."

Danzo scowled. "Much heavier losses than I could hope for. How many wounded?"

"Hundreds, possibly more – we are still attempting to determine a breakdown by rank, and we have no way of knowing if any will survive long term. Without Tsunade-hime, treating youkai contamination is a skill few have mastered. Rough projections would suggest at least a third of the wounded will not live the week."

Danzo nodded. "Get a hold of the highest ranking ANBU captain, have him ready two hunter-nin teams to find and bring back Tsunade or at least her apprentice. Send an alert to Jiraya and the Daimyo. And have the Clans and Council assembled. If you hear any evidence or rumors of Minato's son, eliminate them." He paused. "Also, send Nono up here."

The ROOT ninja was out the window a moment later, and Danzo turned to face the Uchiha again. "This does not look good for your clan, Kagami. With the precautions taken with Kushina's pregnancy, the only way the Kyuubi could have gotten free if it was … released. And if eyewitness initial accounts are correct, the Kyuubi appeared to have been under the influence of the Sharingan – its eyes were in that pattern, which was not its usual appearance."

The other frowned but nodded, still holding the baby almost absently. "I know, Danzo. It was clear to more than one person that the Kyuubi was under the effect of the Unspoken Eye. The lore of how Madara controlled the beast to fight the First is well known, including the fact that when dominated its eyes appeared to have the Sharingan themselves. But the only one in my clan to have the eyes capable of such is a blind old man who doesn't have the chakra to even tree-walk, much less dominate the Nine-tails." He shook his head. "We no longer adhere to the method of gaining such an eye, unless it happens by accident."

He glanced down at the baby, pushing back the blanket a bit. "So either we have a rogue Uchiha of unknown power on our hands – or Fugaku and the Clan Elders are hiding something – or rather, someone – from me. I'm not sure which is more upsetting to me."

Danzo's grimace tightened. "The Nidaime did not trust your clan, old friend. Nor do I. We both know the chances of a rogue Uchiha no one knows of are almost nil. If your clan turns on Kohona, I will have no choices in my actions." His voice had an actual tone of regret in it, and that made the Uchiha chuckle.

Kagami shrugged, still focused on the tiny form of the baby. "Given the clan elders plan to have a vote on Clan Head to have me replaced with someone 'younger, more in tune with the needs of the clan' I suspect the results will soon be academic. Too many of the younger generation have forgotten just why the Uchiha came to form Kohona with the Senju. If they turn, they will no doubt be destroyed."

He looked away from the baby, towards the window. "If that happens...I cannot stand with them, and I will not ask you to stay your hand, except to my grandson, Shusui. If they would listen to reason I would ask you employ that approach first..." He trailed off.

Danzo nodded, relaxing slightly. "And if they will not? If we had to resort to extreme methods to correct the problem?"

The old Uchiha raised his eyes to meet Danzo's good one. "...one cannot properly grow the bonsai tree without trimming, nor harvest the fields without the scythe. If they are behind this – and I cannot say who or why m clan would be – then it is for reasons that have little to do with the good of the village. There is a heavy undercurrent of dissent about the isolation from the village – without understanding why the original clan elders had us separate from the village"

Kagami sighed. "In any case, I will do my best to make them see reason. But if they commit treason against the Leaf, if they have used the old, vile methods, or if they refuse to listen to me… then I think a long-term mission for me to the Daimyo's court would be a way for me to relax." He met Danzo's gaze squarely. "At that point, you can act with a free hand on the kunai. If they DID release the Kyuubi, they essentially murdered the Hokage, his wife, your wife, and hundreds of others. Kill the adults and we can try to salvage the children."

Danzo gave a flicker of a smile. "And people claim I am heartless."

The Uchiha snorted as someone knocked on the door. "You are, bastard. I am merely practical." He half turned as the door opened, revealing the soft features of the Chief Medic, Nono Yakushi.

"Shimura-dono? Her voice was querying, her eyes glancing at the form of Kagami and the child in his arms.

Danzo stood, wincing in pain. His knee had taken a bad hit in the fighting and he'd probably need a cane going forward. "Nono, seal activation motuku."

The woman gasped, shuddering, then stilled. Danzo observed her for a moment before continuing. "The baby is the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, and is the new jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. This information is to be released to NO ONE. Until such time as we determine the best way to use the child, you will care for and raise him."

She nodded, numbly. "I will do my best, Shimura-dono. Perhaps Kabuto can help when I am not around. What are my orders?"

Danzo pondered. Unlike the other villages, Kohona had never actually created a jinchuriki before. The seal used by Mito on herself and then on Kushina was some kind of esoteric suppression/forced sleep seal – the power of the Kyuubi was utterly locked away in both of them. They had no experience in utilizing them.

That clearly wouldn't be the case with this child – even now he could literally feel the youkai leaking from him in tiny amounts. Keeping that a secret from the Uchiha and Hyuuga, not to mention the Aburame or Inuzuka, would be impossible. And Kami only knew what would happen if a Yamanaka tried to mindwalk the child.

Making up his mind, he stared at her. "His status as a jinchuriki will be revealed to a select few. His parentage will not, until the proper time. We simply do not have the resources to protect the boy given his importance from outside kidnapping or assassination attempts. I will provide an area for you and him in a place sealed against outside discovery. For now, raise him as your own."

She nodded. "ROOT protocols?"

He paused. The lack of having created jinchuriki in Kohona meant he had little to no practical knowledge of the best method to ensure they were stable. He almost ordered her to start the emotional suppression training, but hesitated.

Some people in ROOT reacted badly to such training, while others had mental issues in the long run. They couldn't afford an emotionally compromised weapon, but nor could they afford an emotionally unstable one. He pondered and sat back. "For now, do not initiate the protocols. We will reassess once we have a clearer understanding of how a jinchuriki's mind develops."

Kagami handed the child over to the woman, a frown on his scarred features. "Not to be a oni's voice in this, but the situation is dangerous. Mito and Kushina had strong, firm minds and wills when the beast was sealed into them, and it was locked into slumber for the most part. This … seal may hold, but the beast is active. It may have access to the baby's mind, and there are no defenses to stop it."

Danzo nodded. "This I know. Which is why I want the seal examined, so we know what kind of weapon we have."

Kagami arched an eyebrow. "What kind of weapon? A tetsubo, like other jinchuriki, I would suspect."

Danzo shrugged. "Despite his many flaws, Minato was not the fool his sensei was. He did not obliterate the entire power of the Kyuubi with his sealing, which means this creation of a jinchuriki was deliberate. As I cannot imagine the sentimental fool damning his own child for no good reason whatsoever, he had some reason to think we would need the power the child could give us. In fact, given said sentimentality, the threat must be both extremely powerful and dire … and he had no time to let us know what it was."

Kagami frowned. "You surmise that this 'threat' is what freed the Nine-tails? Not my clan?"

Danzo's smile could almost be called sad. "More like in conjunction with your clan, Kagami. Thus, we have a situation where we are facing an unknown enemy. If we have a war machine, then we will use it. If the boy's Uzumaki blood runs true, that is another resource we can use, with proper breeding. At the proper time, with the correct grooming, his parentage will be a morale weapon. And... even if the boy becomes compromised, or the seal proves unstable in the long term, a weapon remains dangerous even if not wielded in the chosen manner, as Rin has taught us. "

Kagami rubbed his chin as Nono left the room. "...even from you that is cold. I, for one, do not blindly trust Minato's seal work. He was no Uzumaki, and Kushina wasn't even half trained. While their works with seals are better than most anything others could do, a seal applied in a rush during a battle with a demon lord and with a dying wife cannot be flawless, as you said. But Nohara's capture and Kiri's use of her...if the boy becomes unstable you plan to let him unleash the beast? Why not simply fix the seal and save the boy's life?"

Danzo shrugged. "It is a matter of expediency. I care nothing for the niceties people cling to in order to sleep soundly at night. The boy is a weapon. He will either be a sword to be wielded, or a bomb to be detonated, but he cannot change the fundamental nature of what he is. Fixing a seal that does not function will not save his sanity if that is a problem, and at that point there is simply too much danger in trying to fix it and failing."

Kagami sighed. "We will have to wait and see, then." His lips quirked. "I would like to be there when you tell Hiruzen's teammates about the boy. Homura will completely lose his shit, old friend."

Danzo moved from behind the desk, wincing at the pain in his knee. "Explaining the situation to the Council in terms they can understand will be … amusing, as will notifying Homura and Jiraya." His dry tone sharpened with further sarcastic tones. "I also cannot wait to hear the line of pathetic excuses from Tsunade-hime about why she has turned into a drunken vagabond. But..."

He turned to the wall, where the formal hat of the Hokage hung, and gave a tight, satisfied smile.

"...one must have faith in Kami and karma that events will bring things into the proper place at the proper time."

* * *

 ** _Author's Notes and Details:_**

 _Kagami Uchiha is not an OC, he is the ancestor (grandfather?) of Shusui in canon. He was also on Tobirama's team when he sacrificed himself, so even the Uchiha-hating Tobirama must have trusted him, thus Danzo does as well.  
_

 _For the Uchiha not to have blown up earlier than the Massacre someone with the trust of the Kohona leadership must have been in charge for most of the time prior to at least Naruto's birth._


	3. Discussion

The intricate nature of formal tea ceremonies was always a balm to Danzo, a method by which he was able to practice isolating and formulating his emotions. While some no doubt saw them as needless formalism better suited to the nobility and the samurai, Danzo took a longer view. Ceremony and ritual were reinforcements of the mind, bastions one could draw upon when dealing with emotions.

The pain of losing his own family in the Kyuubi's rampage was something he had managed to bury deeply within him, but it never left. He knew that most people, with no real emotional control, liked to believe they acted rationally, but few actually managed to keep their emotions from determining their actual course in life. Strong beliefs founded on what people wished for or believed in colored almost every act, and people would ignore facts in favor of clinging desperately to fantasy when that is what they built their life around.

Ceremony sometimes fell into that flaw as well, but the calming nature of it, the simplicity mixed with the complexity, always made him feel more in control. And as he considered the very slight flaws in the tea setting before him, in the gleaming white hall of the Hyuuga, he reflected for a few moments on how often people forgot one simple rule about emotions and control.

They can be suppressed, or hidden, but never _removed_ , and rarely fully controlled.

He sipped the tea – an exquisite mixture from the aptly named Tea Country, which probably cost enough to feed a family of four for a year – from the cups made of glazed faintly-blue china with wooden rims grown by the First Hokage himself. Each one was a priceless work of unmatched and unreplicatable art – the clay hand molded by the Nidaime and polished by his water jutsu, with delicate fuinjutsu seals to keep contents hot or cold. The single cup he held was worth hundreds of thousands of koku, the entire set nearly as expensive as the First Hokage's famed necklace.

A faint expression of pleasure crossed his battered features as he set the cup down just so, before wiping his fingers ritualistically on the provided cloth. He was, despite himself, impressed by the reception.

"As expected, Hyuuga-sama, excellent. Honors to your house." He made sure to pitch his voice in a respectful manner, keenly aware of the power of the figure facing him, even if his companion in the ceremony was still young and unsure.

The hard, cool features of Hiashi Hyuuga flickered not a bit, his pale eyes merely moving over the forms of the service as one of his clansmen began moving the ritual tea setting to one side on a carven, pale white wooden tray, inset with inky black kanji – a poem about the purity of driven snow, and the icy bite of the winds. It was a good match for the two hanging simple watercolors flanking them, both of a lone mountain above a forest line – one set in winter, with stylized empty branches and simple strokes indicating ice and snow, the other in spring, wild with greens and sakura pink against a crisp blue sky.

A moment later the Hyuuga spoke, his voice still growing into the register of a man but steady nonetheless. "I am equally gratified you would grace us with your presence, Hokage-dono. While it is always a pleasure to be of service to the Fire Shadow, I must admit your visit and consultation is reassuring. The Yondaime's death comes as a bitter price to pay, and the loss of elders such as that of my father have left us with many wounds, both mental and … emotional." He paused, sipping the tea. "These are unsettled times... and I find it difficult to proceed with the plans of the House without a better understanding of the changes that will no doubt be occurring."

Danzo wished he could snort, but that would be unacceptable in the rigorous decorum of the tea ceremony. The boy – and despite being twenty years of age, Danzo saw him as a boy – was certainly blunt enough. With an inclination of his head, he spoke in a relaxed tone. "As the situation now stand, Hyuuga-sama, I am afraid there is very little I can tell you that is set in stone."

He paused, then continued in a slightly louder voice. "While we have mostly made preparations for defense of our home, we still have other issues that must be touched upon. The past two months since the attack of the Kyuubi and the wake of its destruction have been somewhat tumultuous, both due to probing forces from Iwa and Kumo as well as the political fallout of … other issues, more delicate issues, so to speak."

Hiashi's nostrils flared ever so slightly. "I presume you mean the container. That is the pressing problem at the moment...and one you said you would impact upon our clan."

Danzo nodded, watching as the last of the branch house members departed the formal tea room the two sat in. "Yes. You of course remember the lively discussion on the night after the attack, and the concerns of both the Civilian and Ninja council?"

Hiashi nodded solemnly. "Concerns I think are well founded. The Kyuubi did not simply _appear_ out of nowhere – Kushina's seal failed, and it was crafted by Mito Uzumaki herself. If such a person with decades of experience was unable to craft a fail-safe seal, then the hurried construction performed by Minato-dono must be much weaker. There is also the fact that neither Kushina nor Mito-sama were actual jinchuriki, but rather merely contained the beast. We are therefore faced with the ugly possibility that the seal could fail and unleash the Kyuubi once more, or that using its powers are impossible..."

Danzo smiled faintly. "Some would suggest trusting in the Yondaime's sealwork. He was well trained, by both Jiraya – who learned the arts from Mito – and his wife."

Hiashi's already grim expression hardened further. "Trust is something no shinobi should have a surfeit of. As the Sage said, 'Only a fool trusts in an untested bridge'. I do not doubt the seal will hold for now, but the Kyuubi is no normal bijuu. If the tales are correct, he is the mightiest of the Nine."

Danzo nodded. "The ancient tales say that half of the strength of the ancient demon the Sage slew went into the Kyuubi, and then half of that into the Eight Tails, half of that into the Seven, and so forth. Certainly the beast managed to inflict horrific casualties upon the village with barely fifteen minutes of exposure. But that is far afield from the point." He sipped his own tea. "Regardless of the strength of the seal, a jinchuriki is always going to be liable to lose control during the stress of pregnancy. As the current container is a male, that is not a concern – it might even be why the previous seal failed when prior to that it had held steady."

The Hyuuga frowned. "That may be so, but it remains a heavy risk. There are seals that can overload and counter seals, and there is also the concern that both Kushina and Mito-sama were functional adults by the time the Kyuubi was sealed into them – the current container's identity is unknown but you informed my clan and several others that it was a baby."

Danzo nodded. "I will admit to some concerns about that. The initial mind scan by the Yamanaka implies that the beast is in torpor, unconscious from the sealing – it may not awaken. Even if it does, it may not affect the child – Jiraya has put forth the argument about a kunai and a sealing scroll being two very different things."

The iron control of discipline in the Hyuuga's face flickered for an instant, a faint sneer. "Yes, because all kunai are actually mountain-tall demonic monsters. With all due respect to the Sannin, I do not think such a spurious argument will convince anyone that there is no danger."

Danzo gave a wider smile. "Hyuuga-sama, surely you understand that any weapon has risks. Even the finest sword may shatter in combat, blinding its wielder. I am not unaware of the risks we have by containing such a creature, but the power it offers us, and the ends it can be put to, outweigh the risk."

He sipped the tea again – it really was excellent, he would have to have some of his men steal some for his own use. "That is not, I assure you, why I implied your clan would have a role to play."

Hiashi nodded. "I had anticipated as much. The beast's sealing is much more complex and given your warning to our clan and the Uchiha, I can only surmise that there is some chakra leakage that would be detectable." Hiashi paused. "I presume that there is a reason for the delay between your announcement of such and this action?"

Danzo nodded. "Politics. As you know, there was some contention for the post of Hokage. Fugaku Uchiha managed to convince a majority of his clan to replace Kagami as clan head, and felt he was the best choice. I disagreed. While the civilian council normally would have no say on the issue, it was seen as … expedient to allow the Daimyo to make the choice, a process that has taken time."

He exhaled. "Thus, for two months I have waited, for both the Fire Daimyo and the Council to formally confirm me as Godaime. Fugaku, in his arrogance, alienated the Daimyo's representative, and was discarded as a candidate. Now that has completed, I can begin to move with the legalities – and plans – to secure Kohona. These begin with _your_ clan, Hyuuga-sama, hence my visit today."

He straightened again, allowing himself a faint smile. "As matters relate to the container, I was not … entirely … _truthful_ with the Civilian and Ninja council. I fail to see the reason we need civilians being advised on clan or ninja matters, and the security of the container is of primary importance for several reasons. And the majority of the clans do not understand the need for the primacy of Kohona."

The Hyuuga lord nodded almost dismissively, and Danzo concealed his mirth. Along with the Aburame and the long-reviled and hunted Yamanaka, the Hyuuga were the clan that most closely mirrored his own beliefs about emotional control and the place of Kohona.

Of course, each had its reasons. Aburame prized logic and hive mentalities, and could not bond with their alien kikachu if they were strongly emotional. Outcast and seen as freaks by most, only Kohona had accepted them with open arms, and their rationality did not mean they did not seek revenge on Kumo, who had hunted them, and Iwa, who had exiled them.

Likewise, the Yamanaka needed iron-like emotional control to prevent losing control of their mentalist abilities, and to stop powerful clan members from becoming corrupted by their power. Having seen into the minds of many enemies, they felt only Kohona had the right mindset to lead the ninja world.

For the Hyuuga, it was much simpler. They were descended from the most ancient of true royalty, higher even than the Daimyo, and had a bloodline that was of vast utility and power. Kohona was their only refuge from both political forces that would cast them down or puppet them in attempting to unite the Elemental Nations, or to steal their bloodlines. Or worse. The Hyuuga were obsessed with purity, with strength, with power and elegance, and Kohona was where they would stand or fall.

After a long moment, Danzo merely nodded. "As far as the issue goes, there are problems with how the container should be raised. There are … certain issues with his heritage that make him unique and valuable, as well as an incredible target for others."

Hiashi arched an eyebrow. "And what are those?"

Danzo's expression hardened. "Before I inform you, you will need to swear an oath to Kami and Shingami upon the souls of your entire clan that you will not divulge the information to anyone I do not designate."

The Hyuuga's eyes widened. That was the most powerful and restrictive of oaths, one that would see a person's soul destroyed instead of reincarnated in the Great Wheel. "What … " With a inhaled breath he mastered his shock. His father would be filled with disappointment in such a lapse. "Very well, Hokage-dono, I do so swear upon the names and souls of the Hyuuga of House Ōtsutsuki that I will never divulge what you tell me of the container or his heritage without your prior permission."

Danzo nodded. "Thank you, Hyuuga-sama. I would not normally ask, but..." He gave a rueful smile. "The container is Minato's son, the child of him and Kushina. Given that Kushina's aunt was Mito, he is also technically related to the Senju. Based on what we have seen so far from chakra scans, there is a very slight possibility he may manifest the Mokuton."

Hiashi paled. "The last of the Uzumaki, and Minato-dono's son...and the host of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Related to the Senju...Mokuton? Kami above."

Danzo grimaced. "There is more. Both Jiraya and Tsunade have had contact with the highest sages of their summon clans, both who claim this child will one day become the savior of the entire world … or its utter and complete destruction." He exhaled. "I do not need to explain to you how utterly critical it is that this remains secret."

Hiashi nodded rapidly. "How … have you ensured this?"

Danzo shifted slightly. "I had my agents capture and seal much of the loose, ambient chakra of the Kyuubi in massive amounts, and with the assistance of Homura, was able to seal the vast majority of it into a child – an orphan. The chakra is mindless but highly visible. This child will be trained heavily and publicly presented as the jinchuriki."

"The actual container has already had several chakra suppressant seals placed on him, as well as a genjutsu array that should prevent sensors from picking up on his unique nature. Obviously, such methods will not fool the Byukugan, nor the Sharingan, nor the Aburame's insect jutsu. And the Yamanaka mind techniques will instantly detect the boy is a host."

Danzo adjusted his position on the tatami matting and picked up his tea once more, sipping, allowing Hiashi to process his thoughts. After almost thirty seconds of silence, the young man nodded. "I see. Where is the container now?"

Danzo set down the cup just so. "Currently, the container is in a secure location outside of Kohona, guarded by my elite ANBU. And this brings me to the … crux of the reason why I am here today. "

He exhaled slowly. "Keeping his existence and status a secret will become more difficult as he grows and matures. Thus, we must begin planning now both for his future training, and his future housing and growth. Kohona has never used or trained jinchuriki before, and quite frankly given the – as you put it – hasty nature of the seal, and the power of the beast, we are reluctant to experiment wildly."

"Normally, I would train the boy myself, focusing on emotion suppression and forging him into a weapon for the village. Indeed, that is most likely what I will do with the fake jinchuriki. But we simply do not know enough about how jinchuriki function to be sure such an approach would work, so before implementing that we conducted some research while waiting for the political fallout I mentioned earlier to settle."

He reached to the small pouch on his waist, pulling out a small scroll. "My ANBU have been searching for known methods of the control of bijuu and the training of jinchuriki, and from what we have found a jinchuriki is most stable and capable of containing the bijuu when they are well balanced and have strong _emotional_ bonds to loved ones. While this is certainly a liability in normal shinobi, it has several advantages with a jinchuriki."

Hiashi considered this. "Yes, I can see that. Using the loved ones to control the container, as well as ensure its loyalty. Most people would be … uneasy around such a person, however. And the stability issue, even if it reduced by having strong bonds, would still remain."

Danzo nodded again. "True. However, it occurs to me that what is needed is a series of interconnected measures. The container must be trained to control – not destroy – their emotions, and should be trained as a normal shinobi alongside their jinchuriki powers. I do not want the container to stand out among other ninja, nor do I feel it is useful for him to be limited to the powers of the bijuu. I want a weapon that is multifunctional, not a single use kunai."

"A ninja who can pass as merely another jonin, until the time comes to use his bijuu powers, would be a devastating weapon on the battlefield. Most other nations do not bother, because their sealing methods are crude and ineffective, and because they fear the beast's power. Fear is weakness. Control is strength."

The Hyuuga lord nodded. "And thus, a stable environment when the container is growing up is desirable."

The old ninja's voice did not waver as he continued. "Yes, precisely. An environment where he can experience both bonds – to the village and to a family – and yet have some semblance of emotional control. Being able to function socially and at many levels of society, including the highest, would also be important. After all, once he comes of an age to defend himself, announcing his linage will strike utter fear in the ranks of other villages, especially if he can master the Hirashin and combine it with the power of a bijuu."

Danzo grinned ferally as he spoke this, and Hiashi almost felt sorry for the other villages. "A masterful concept. However, not to be rude, Hokage-dono, but what role would my clan play in this...scenario?"

Danzo folded his arms. "Simple. While I want him to grow up and be trained as a weapon of war, at the same time, I need to have the container in an area where he is constantly monitored for both emotional instability and seal instability, and with limited civilian contact. I need him to be exposed to the highest level of shinobi skill and to master both his mind and body. Finally, he would need to be raised in an environment that would promote a sense of duty and loyalty to the village."

Danzo looked at Hiashi. "In short, the container would be placed in the care of one of only a few clans. Either your clan, the Aburame, or the Yamanaka."

Hiashi's eyebrow arched. "Not the Uchiha?"

Danzo again almost snorted. "With two exceptions I do not trust the Uchiha, and plan to reduce their influence in the village by some amount in the short term." He did not miss the satisfied look in the other man's eyes, instead continuing smoothly.

"And even aside from that, I can disguise the container as a Yamanaka with extreme ease. I could conceivably pass them off as a Hyuuga with cosmetic alterations and contact lenses of the appropriate style. The very nature of Aburame dress makes disguising him a matter of simplicity itself. But his likely bone structure – and body type – are likely to be too different from the Uchiha to pass."

Hiashi leaned back slightly. "I see. I presume the clan that is chosen would be … re-compensated in some manner?"

Danzo nodded. "As you know, the Advisory Council is almost empty. I have chosen Kagami Uchiha as one of them. The other would be designated by the clan who hosts the container. Additionally, this would qualify as a series of long-term, S-rank missions, and paid accordingly."

"Finally, given the … seriousness of the situation, I believe I an convince Jiraya to provide some fuinjutsu instruction to the clan, in the creation of suppression and control seals."

The Hyuuga Clan Head merely nodded thoughtfully, and Danzo slowly stood. "Of course, right now such things are still premature. I would prefer the container remain in the current location for additional testing and other prep work, and chakra examinations. And of course, I would seek for both the Aburame and the Yamanaka clans to have a hand in the container's upbringing to some degree."

He narrowed his good eye. "But ultimately, Hyuuga-sama, I do not trust any clan with the future of Kohona aside from yours, and it is my ultimate hope you will agree to raise the container within the strictures of your clan – without, of course, attempting to apply the Caged Bird Seal or any other such nonsense to the container."

Hiashi thought for several long seconds, and then set his cup aside and stood as well. He gave a moderate bow, to a near-equal. "I will of course need to consult in general terms with the Elders of my Clan, although they do not need to know the details you swore me to secrecy about. But … unless something changes, Hokage-dono, the Hyuuga clan would be honored to discharge this obligation to Kohona.

Danzo did not show his satisfaction save in the depth of his bow. "May the Will of Fire burn forever, in the light of those who uphold its ways."

 **O-DANZOSAMA-O**

"Well?"

Danzo shot an irritable look at Jiraya, who lounged almost indolently along a wall in the Hokage's office. "I do not recall summoning you, Jiraya."

The Sannin gave a tight, ugly smile. "Yeah, well. I don't work for you."

Danzo walked past him, leaning on the cane he was now forced to use, and sat down heavily behind the Hokage's desk, before setting aside the hat of the Hokage to one side. "I have little time nor patience for your truculence, Jiraya. Hiruzen indulged in such because he was an overly sentimental fool, who would still be alive and enjoying retirement if he had bothered to listen to me rather than you about Orochimaru."

Jiraya grimaced at that. "You think I don't beat myself up enough over that?"

Danzo placidly flipped open a folder and began inscribing something into the records within. "Not enough to alter your lifestyle, your ignorant wanderings, or your careless behavior. I have not forgotten your foolishness with the Rinnegan user."

Jiraya's face flickered with pain. "Yeah, well. They're dead now."

Danzo exhaled. "Another regret, then? A more wise man would begin to see a pattern and change their lifestyle, but then again you are the great Sannin Sage, and no doubt have no use for the wisdom of a crippled old war-hawk. That is what you called me, yes?"

Jiraya, interestingly, mastered his expression. "I am not perfect, Danzo. I have given much to this village already. All I want is to be able to discharge my duty to Minato and Kushina."

Danzo's eye narrowed. "Ah, yes. They named you as the container's godfather. How … domestic."

Jiraya growled, his chakra spiking. "The _container?_ He has a name, Danzo! It's Naruto!"

Danzo nodded smoothly. "I was not unaware of that. Hardly the sort of name to strike fear into the hearts of enemies...but then again, Kushina was never serious." He paused. "What do you expect me to do about it? You have a spy network to manage. You have no home, you wander constantly, and Iwa hates you almost as much as they did Minato. To send a two month old child with _you_ would be utterly reckless, much less given the … Naruto's heritage and contents."

Jiraya's eyes narrowed. "He's a person, not a sack, you evil old fuck. And I don't give a damn about what you think. I failed Nagato, Konan and Yahiko. I failed Orochimaru, and then I failed sensei. I failed Minato when it counted, and I failed Tsunade. I am not going to fail Naruto, and I'm not going to let you raise him as an emotionless drone weapon!" His voice thundered at the end, and his chakra rose to battle levels.

Danzo merely gazed at him calmly. "Then you have nothing to fear. The boy will be sent to live with the Hyuuga, who will raise him, protect him, and watch over him. He will be trained alongside the heirs of the Hyuuga, the Aburame, and the Yamanaka. He will not be placed into ROOT, nor will he even be trained primarily by me. He will certainly not have his true heritage announced, but he will not be mistreated."

Jiraya snorted. "And people won't find out he's the fucking jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune?!"

Danzo sighed. He once again wished Hiru had trained his students properly. "No, they will not. We gathered enough ambient chakra from the beast to seal it into another orphan. The fake jinchuriki's identity will be leaked, and he will be the public face the villagers and other shinobi will know about. Naruto himself has already had a number of chakra suppression seals and other methods and will be isolated on the Hyuuga compound."

He returned his gaze to his writing. "Ultimately, the...boy...will grow up fairly normally, surrounded by luxury and yet held to high standards of the Hyuuga. We have already planned his training and when the time is right, his heritage will be revealed to him – and the world."

Jiraya gave him a disbelieving look. "You expect me to believe you won't train him as a weapon?"

Danzo snorted. "I do not care if you believe me or not. From the studies we have done, putting the boy in ROOT would damage him and probably result in him being unable to control the bijuu. Furthermore, it struck me that while the powers he would have as a host are formidable, they would be even more formidable if he could function as a normal ninja and only use them when needed. Such a massive amount of chakra would allow him to do things other shinobi simply could not."

Danzo smiled. "In time, he could surpass his father, or even Hashirama." He looked back up at the Sannin. "Believe it or not, Jiraya, I do understand the concept of you wishing to discharge your familial duties. When the time is right I have no objection to you teaching the boy his mother's and father's jutsus and sword styles."

The old man's voice hardened. "But I am not going to allow you to remove him from the village and traipse all over the world with him."

Jiraya fixed him with a glare. "If I come back and he is not treated well, Danzo..."

Danzo merely shrugged. "The village is more important than him, or me, or you. Minato, surprisingly enough, understood that. He sacrificed his very soul, his life, and the life of his wife, and the future of his son for the security of this village. You know enough of my past and my goals to realize I will do no less to ensure Kohona remains safe and that the Will of Fire is supreme."

Jiraya shook his head in disgust. "You think force, power, military conquest and black ops are the strengths of Kohona."

Danzo gave a rusty chuckle. "I do not. I believe in the Will of Fire, as exemplified by Tobirama-sensei and Hashirama-Sensei. I simply believe that where there is light, there must also be shadow, and if we pretend the world is a kind place and ignore the darkness we are only going to make the Great Tree weak."

The Hokage's voice firmed. "He will not have the life of a normal child. But he will not be, as you put it, an emotionless drone. You can either agree to that … or you can defy the will of the Hokage, the Daimyo, and turn your back on this village, and probably get the boy killed before he sees his first birthday. You are already full of regrets, Jiraya."

With an irritated motion, he gestured to the door. "Don't add this one to your list."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 _I'm not very familiar with tea ceremony, so forgive the vagueness._

 _Sora is not the fake jinchurki, and still exists along with his father and their stupid plans. He'll come up at a later time._

 _The person the charka will be sealed into will be a canon character. Not sure if Tenten, Sakura, Shin, Sai, or someone else._

 _The Nine are ranked according to strength. Assume the Juubi had a strength of 1000 units. Kyuubi has half , or 500. The eight tailed has 250. The Seven Tailed has 125. The Six Tailed has 62, the five tailed 31, the four tailed 16, the three tailed 8, the two tailed 4, and the one tail has 2._

 _Each unit is roughly as powerful as five Kage level shinobi in terms of chakra capacity, as powerful as twenty in chakra reserves. Of course, sheer power is not the only measure - the stronger the bijuu, the less impressive its special abilities are because there is simply too much power to channel into a mortal form._

 _Given that half the Kyuubi is gone, the Nine-Tails and Eight Tails are actually roughly the same strength._


	4. Positioning

_**A/N:** Small author's note at the bottom.  
_

 _Interested in seeing responses._

 _Don't own the Naruto series or any characters, if I did, there would be no way Nagato would have been allowed to wander around on his own._

* * *

The first year of the life of Naruto was one of isolation. Later in life, he would have a vague memory of white rooms and faint, gentle humming, and above all else, a pure and deep calming silence. While his memories would only become firm upon his future residence in the Hyuuga Estate, those early days would stick with him.

Kept in a heavily guarded ROOT defensive bunker buried deep below the Hokage Monument, ringed with hundreds of feet of fuinjutsu defenses and traps, the host of the Kyuubi was raised in complete and total observation. Nono took care of him, fed and changed him, and sang softly to him, giving him a warm human focus for his attention, but the baby was under constant study.

After all, when one had a weapon available for research, ignoring it was foolish.

Kohona, in the past, had mostly eschewed more morally questionable methods of acquiring military power. While Hashirama was so powerful that he didn't need to resort to such things, his brother Tobirama was more open to the concept, creating jutsu like Edo Tensai and chakra consumption seals.

Heavily influenced by the Nidaime's beliefs, Danzo was quick to use his authority as Hokage to ensure no avenue towards greater military power was left unexplored. At the same time, he realized that many shinobi distrusted him, and his methods, seeing him as little more than a power-mad warmonger.

He could move forward with some of his plans, but the majority would have to be done either secretly or very slowly over time. And he was not getting any younger, he could not wait for new generations to grow up under his influence before making his moves. Instead, he would have to act incrementally.

The most frustrating part of the entire situation was that, at least in his own mind, Danzo did not consider himself a warhawk. While certain not one to shy away from violence or political maneuvers designed to weaken a foe to direct assault, the truth was that he fully realized Kohona could not conquer the world.

In his own way, Danzo wanted peace as fervently as Hiruzen had. The difference was that Danzo was not going to blind himself with rose-tinted views of how the world worked. If peace was going to be anything but exhausted time-outs when wars got too bloody, the word might as well not have any meaning.

People tossed around the word peace, the concept, the image, without any real plan of how to get there or – far more importantly – how to maintain such a state once achieved. Danzo had taken in the words of the Nidaime fully – only through control could mastery be achieved. Only through control of the body did one become a threat. Only through control of the mind could one master their own fears and biases. And only through control of the spirit could one find the resolve to do what others were too weak to perform.

The only true path to peace was overwhelming power, power so supreme that no one but a fool would challenge it, and ruthlessness to use such power. Power so overwhelming that war itself became suicide, that violence brought about a reaction so severe that no reward was worth the risk.

Danzo did not yet know of such a source of power, but he was constantly looking. And the Kyuubi was nothing if not power incarnate and made flesh. Unleashed in all its glory, it could burn the entire world to ashes, wreck entire nations and leave behind untold devastation. And it was trapped and vulnerable in the body of a tiny child.

In that vein, Naruto was studied intently, in every possible aspect.

Chakra researchers studied every bit of his chakra network, while tissue samples and blood draws were examined, recorded and pondered. Clones of the boy were grown using horrific chakra methods, introduced to bijuu energies, dissected to see changes, and compared to the real child. The results were startling – the bijuu was slowly morphing the child's basic biology. Muscles required more energy but were, even at barely three months old, far stronger than comparable human tissue. The immune system was like a fortress. Bones were harder than iron while retaining far more flexion than human bone, while early sensory tests showed the boy's senses would be predator level one day.

Other experiments attempted to weaponize extracted chakra with little success - when not imbued into a living thing, it degenerated rapidly. But sealing was always an option, and Danzo's scientists were even able to siphon and store small amounts of the chakra of the Kyuubi in blood-bound seals. Triggering such a seal would flood the human in question with corrosive, burning youkai. Before it burned through their chakra network, they would be pushed into a berserker state, killing anything around them. Danzo was so pleased by the result he began training an entire new cadre of throwaway assets to use such a thing.

He had many more assets to use than he had in the past. The chaos in the fallout of the Kyuubi left literally hundreds of orphans, some with minor shinobi backgrounds. Additionally, he was able to co-opt more than a few nearly dead ninja from ruins around the village and extract valuable bloodline data – including two additional lines of kikachu from the Aburame and a set of the Akamichi food pills.

As for the orphans, almost all of these vanished into ROOT in short order, although Danzo was careful to make sure a few dozen were handed over to the orphanage as a public show – mostly those with no real potentials. Danzo firmly believed in long-term planning, and with a wide selection of recruits had enough manpower to begin building a private army. While ROOT was powerful as it was, it was limited in manpower and more than a few of its members were already well known. Having a collection of completely anonymous shinobi with no known links to the Leaf would be of immense value in black operations.

His training methods did not change in form, but did so in function. Previously, with he'd forced paired orphans to fight their closest friends to the death as the last step to ensure their emotions were crushed. While it was certainly effective, it had the unfortunate but obvious side effect of halving his potential manpower.

The near-total demise of the Kurama clan during the Kyuubi incident, however, had opened up new opportunities, as the last heir was taken by ROOT in the chaos. Able to not only create genjutsu so vivid they could almost not be detected or broken, the clan also had detailed records on the psyche of humans and memory – needed as their powers often drew on the victim's own mind and memories.

Combined with some assistance from the Yamanaka members of ROOT, therefore, Danzo had altered his training finale. Every recruit was put into a full-sensory genjutsu and made to believe they were forced to kill the partner they had trained with since induction. Afterwards, a memory seal warped their memories, making them not recognize their brother or sister in arms, allowing Danzo to keep both recruits from a pair and still deaden and destroy their emotions.

The ANBU itself was now riddled with ROOT, although he was careful not to replace any of the captains with ROOT members. Captains needed charisma and leadership ability, and his ROOT agents did not perform well in such tasks. He rather used ROOT to boost the overall power of the ANBU forces, allowing some more powerful ANBU to move upwards to lead entirely new units, while he began restructuring the Academy and ninja program itself.

Much of that was still ongoing. After months of work and no sign that Danzo was suddenly going to invade Iwa or Kumo, many of the jonin and the more wary clans stopped worrying so much. He was careful never to put forth concepts that seemed too risky, instead simply having his ROOT handle all such things – they had a much freer hand now without the oversight of Minato.

Thus far his success in the council had been small – revisions to textbooks, moving D-ranks to being something performed by Academy Students as E-rank while changing the new d-ranks to mostly being training-related simulated missions or guard/protection details inside secured areas as practice. While Kohona would normally be in a slump, Danzo had struck deals with more than a few ruthless business types, and his ROOT were performing a wide array of unethical missions that raked in heavy S-Class fees.

While he was pleased with his efforts in strengthening the village so far, his greatest achievement had been managing to retain the services of both Jiraya and Tsunade, albeit on limited levels.

Jiraya, despite his opposition to Danzo's plans and ideals, was a fairly easy sell. Danzo promised the man he could have complete insight as to Naruto's training and how he was raised, and that he would be the one who explained to the boy about the Kyuubi, his heritage, and his future. Additionally, he promised Jiraya that if he felt the training was detrimental to Naruto's stability, he would allow the Sage to train the boy himself – in secret, of course.

Given that the man could not even look at the boy without being wracked with guilt, it was all to easy to convince the Sage to go along with his plans. Danzo even managed to summon that stupid smile Hiru liked to pull out at the sight of the Sage holding his godchild.

Jiraya, ever hopeful of the lighter, brighter side of humanity, wanted to believe Danzo had good intentions. He knew better…but he also knew, deep down, that given all his own failures, he was not suited to raise the boy. If his sensei had survived and not been slain killing Orochimaru, perhaps he would have left him in his care.

Instead, he went about his duties, running and expanding his spy network. Concerned about his godson, he expanded it into the one place he never really bothered to before, Fire Country and Kohona itself. In another life, one where Sarutobi survived, he would have never thought to do such a thing, and Kohona would have paid dearly for his oversight. Danzo did not mind, and after dropping a few hints that it was always possible that enemies might discover Naruto to kill or kidnap him, was delighted when the man focused more on said spy network than his usual whoring and writing activities.

As Naruto turned five months old, he'd even convinced Jiraya to write up a sort of primer to fuinjutsu for Naruto, which he then distributed to his own ROOT forces. The seals inside were simple but more than a few showed innovations Danzo wasn't aware of. More importantly, some of the basic theory was reworded and included into academy textbooks. When Jiraya returned and saw such an upswing in interest in fuinjutsu, he began trying to convince Danzo to allow teaching of it in school.

It had been difficult to hide his amusement as he 'grudgingly' agreed to allow Jiraya to write up a complete fuinjutsu textbook and design a course in sealing. The additional power this gave even young genin teams sent survivability ratios and mission success rates skyrocketing.

Retaining Tsunade's services had been hardly more difficult.

The last of the Senju did not want to return to Kohona, and feared that the cold Danzo would have forced such an issue. Indeed, he had sent out a summons recall for either her or Shinzune, to help deal with the massive amounts of injuries from exposure to the bijuu's chakra.

At the time, Tsunade had agreed with ill grace, but was surprised when ROOT agents informed her that the majority of the wounded had been moved to specially constructed facilities outside of Kohona. She and Shinzune had treated some of the worst cases there, and that was where Danzo had shown up.

Tsunade expected a cool demand she remain in Kohona, but the elderly nin just shook his head. Instead, he revealed his ROOT had already discovered her homophobia and her drinking problems. He felt these made her too much of a liability to the shinobi to bother re-activating her, at least in a formal manner, but that he did need her help.

Rather than force her to return to the village, Danzo cunningly offered a different plan. Kohona would pay Tsunade to spend a few days every other month examining Naruto, and determining how the Kyuubi affected the child, and then she would be free to go about her business. Kohona would pay her enough to drink and gamble and forget, and while she was required to get close to Kohona, she never had to gaze upon the village or enter it.

Tsunade, despite her broken spirit, was no fool. She felt, based on the words of her old sensei, that she had a good grasp on the warhawk and his ideals. The rather hesitant mention of 'research' and study had not been extensively detailed, and most of all, Danzo had not even tried to force the issue of her staying.

She had accosted him in the labs near where Naruto was kept, arms folded, honey brown eyes narrowed. "I have a question, Danzo. Why are you not trying to force me back?"

Danzo merely arched his good eyebrow. "Tsunade, unlike Hiru, I am not one for sentimentality. And to be honest, you simply are not the force you once were. You were once mighty, a powerful kunochi feared the world over. You lost your brother and your fiancé and let that destroy you, unlike many others who suffered worse losses yet kept themselves fighting."

He let his expression slip slightly into a sneer. "I will not argue that you owe Kohona anything, as you have made it clear you do not feel the same. But you are, in terms of military power, useless to me. You cannot fight, you have no spirit, and you have no doubt not bothered to train in years. Frankly, the only use you have to me is as a medical researcher. Your apprentice, on the other hand, is highly skilled and very useful in the Kohona General Hospital."

Tsunade gritted her teeth at the old man, but said nothing as he continued. "Ultimately, like your teammate Jiraya, you are filled with regrets. A fool once said that regret can change the nature of a person. That may be true, but only in the shallowest of senses. "

She shook her head. "And what is it you want me to research?"

To be honest, Danzo had expected her to be more resistant to the sort of studies he had in mind, but despite herself, Tsunade was at heart a medical researcher. She had long wondered about the effects of youkai on humans, and despite being one of the few that could treat exposure to it there was still plenty she didn't know.

Of course, Tsunade told herself she went along with Danzo's schemes to keep an eye out for Minato's child. Whenever she could she took the opportunity to play with the boy, swallowing back painful memories of helping to raise Nawaki. Danzo merely tightened the noose when he suggested that Tsunade teach the child as he grew. When Tsunade was surprised by this, Danzo told her that he would not be going into ROOT and was expected to live a strict and military but otherwise normal childhood.

Given that Shinzune was delighted with her position as Head Medical Doctor at the hospital and already making friends, something she couldn't do roaming the Fire Country and trying to keep Tsunade from sinking into depression, Tsunade found herself trapped. But as she gambled and drank and sank into a sort of malaise, she comforted herself by believing she was looking out for Naruto, even as Danzo's research requests turned darker and darker.

If Jiraya and Tsunade had sat down and talked, perhaps they'd realize they were being played. But Danzo was careful to ensure he never scheduled them to be in the village at the same time, and the antipathy Tsunade had in her own past was enough to make that potential contact almost an impossibility.

With the Hyuuga, Yamanaka, and Aburame clans backing him, the support of the Sannin, and of course having Hiru's two advisors in his corner, Danzo felt plans were moving along nicely. It was time to reveal the identity of the false jjnchuriki, even while he prepared the modifications to allow a young Naruto to grow up in the Hyuuga family.

He eyed the pair of main-branch Hyuuga eyes taken from a young boy during the Kyuubi attack, and smiled thinly to himself. After all, the best disguises never used chakra and hid the truth in plain sight. He motioned to one of his ever-present ROOT ANBU attendants.

"Send for Nono, and have the container prepped for surgical alteration."

* * *

 _Still building up the background so far. Progress is slowly coming along._


	5. Revelation

_**A/N:**_

 _Loooong author's note at the bottom._

* * *

 **THE FIRST HOUSE OPENS**

 _"The Will of Fire is the belief that shinobi cannot die for an ideal they would rather live for. That the next generation is stronger and better than the last, that only through fighting for love, for our families, our friends, our communal hope that the violence of our world matters. What point enduring blood and shadows if only to drown in them rather than basking in the light?" - Hashirama Senju_

* * *

Naruto awoke, as he always did, at dawn. Not by choice, of course, but the gentle calling of his name.

He sat up in the futon blearily, gazing up at the figure of the branch house member who had slid aside the door panel and called his name. The Hyuuga was dressed in plain white cotton hakama pants and the thick white elongated happi, trimmed in pale gray. The branch member gave a shallow nod. "Breakfast will be in twenty minutes, Naruto-san."

Naruto returned the nod as the panel was shut, and stood up, peeling himself out of his sleeping robes and padding into the small bathroom next to his sleeping room. Like all Hyuuga living spaces, the bathroom was both elegant and austere. Not much smaller than his sleeping area, it was comprised of white-panelled walls trimmed in dark wood, and offset by the simplistic painting of herons over the seafront in a simple inset on the far wall.

He turned on the bath, and then stretched, knowing the water was ice cold when it first started up. Instead of enduring that, Naruto instead looked into the mirror, frowning a bit as he waited for the water of the bath to heat. His inky-black hair, as always, refused to behave in a proper Hyuuga fashion, spiking out near the front. Ironing it out only lasted for a few days, and eventually he'd given up on it. He could comb it back into a tight ponytail once it was wet, and that was at least more acceptable in the eyes of the clan.

His eyes were the pale white of all Hyuuga, perhaps shaded delicately with blue in a certain light. His body was taut with muscle, but still lithe and slender, as preferred by the clan. He examined his face closely, and then he grimaced at the faint, whisker like markings on his cheeks. He never understood why they showed up or why they were bad, but he was always trained to suppress them.

Checking the water only revealed it to be still cold. Thus, with time on his side, he placed his hands together in a dragon seal, focusing inwards as he'd been taught by Tsunade. After a few moments, he blocked out all other sounds, feeling the smooth, cool rush of suiton and the cold, dusty grip of doton merging together, enveloping him in a faint green haze. The dark chakra within him buckled and receded, leaving him feeling vaguely faint as he opened his eyes.

He smiled thinly as the sight of the whisker-lines being gone, and turned to soak in his - finally warm - bath. After a quick set of ablutions, he dried himself off, combed out his unruly hair, bound it into a ponytail, and slipped into his uniform – pale white katami pants, cinched to his waist with a white leather belt that held two hidden, sharp but thin blades.

This was surmounted by a shitagi with thin, stiff steel armor inserts, pulling the coat-like garment tight. He topped this with a white haori, which he tied off before slipping into his sandals and stepping into the corridor beyond his rooms.

He set his feet to walking along the narrow, tatami lined corridors of the House as he headed towards the main dining area, careful to avoid any contact with the various branch house servants moving through the house. When he was younger, he was often confused – he was living with the Branch House members, yet had no Caged Bird Seal and always ate with the Main House.

He'd eventually given up asking, as no one – not his teacher, nor Hiashi-sama – would answer his questions. The Branch House treated him with careful deference, but he was always very firm in participating in the servant-type work they did himself – washing clothes, repairing the walls, keeping the gardens tended – things no Main Family Hyuuga bothered with. Some members of the Branch looked at him askance for this, but he had learned over the years that many of them were as baffled as he was at his treatment, and simply grateful he was not as cruel as some members of the Main House, who seemed to view the Branch more like servants than family.

Granted, that was a minority of the Main House - certainly Hiashi-sama did not, and reacted poorly to those who did - but tensions existed. Neji was proof enough of that.

Aside from brief mealtimes and the occasional tea ceremony with Hiashi-sama, Naruto did not really mingle with the Main House. Why he was unsealed and why he ate meals with them was something he'd been told he would be educated on when he became a genin.

That day, in theory, would be _today_. He wasn't sure if he should be excited or worried, but either way - a Hyuuga did not show anything but calm serenity, especially in front of the Clan Head. He took a breath, steeling his features, and then h entered into the main dining area.

The large room was mostly empty, save for the table at which the main family ate. Most of them would not be awake this early. He wasn't surprised, however, at seeing Hiashi-sama and Hizashi-san already seated at the head of the table. Neji-san sat next to his father, his customary scowl in place, while Hinata-chan and Hanabi-chan sat next to their father.

As always, Naruto made a deep bow to the Clan Head and the Branch Family head before sitting next to Neji. He knew, from long experience, there would not be a word spoken by anyone until the food was served, and thus he used the time to run through one of the mental checklists Danzo-jii-sama had taught him.

His equipment was, of course, already prepared for the events of the day – the primary genin exam. The Academy was required for all children of Kohona from ages five through nine, four years of basic schooling combined with heavy physical exercise and the rudimentary basics of ninja training : simple taijutsu and attempting to channel chakra.

The Academy lasted from eight in the morning to two in the afternoon. Those children focused on becoming nin of any kind would stay another three hours for the extra ninja-specific training, which covered basics such as simple traps, poisons, and tactics.

As Naruto watched the Branch House members enter the room with their breakfasts, he mused on the structure of the Genin Exam. Each potential genin would be given a through examination: medical condition, chakra potency and ability to channel, chakra type, several written tests, a taijutsu test, and a psychological exam. Each member of the class graduating would then be placed into one of four groups.

For those with no chakra levels or ability whatsoever – a fairly rare occurrence that usually meant malformed chakra coils – they could either move on to a civilian finishing school or apply to train in the 'Silent' – a group of extremely heavily trained soldiers who relied on the fact that they had no detectable chakra signature or levels and employed assassination techniques that relied instead on things such as poison or fuinjutsu. Most of them were also very good at taijutsu, although without the speed and strength provided by channeling chakra, they would be no match for a prepared shinobi.

The Silent rarely gave shinobi a chance to prepare.

For those with purely civilian levels of chakra but the ability to mold it, they could move to finishing school, or join the ranks of the 'reserve corps' – trained militia given some basic shape-form blade training by the Daimyo's samurai. It wasn't much, but even minimal chakra channeling would make their weapons more than a match for unaugmented militia, and some of them could even do a few very simple jutsu such as the kawarimi.

For those children with good chakra reserves and the ability to mold it well, where they ended up depended very much on how well they did in the testing. The top ten percent – usually about ten or so students – would typically be apprenticed to a single elite non-clan jonin, who would be expected to pass down his skills and created jutsu or other abilities to the apprentice over the next three years. These elite genin, receiving the best training possible, were typically the ones shown off at Chunin Exams or on high-visibility escort jobs. Once they made chunin, they were drilled into the ground by ANBU and tended to serve as ANBU Captains after a few tours of duty, before finally being trained to teach and prepare their own apprentices.

For those who didn't make the top ten percent, they would undergo two years of additional ninja training, the branch of which would be decided by the testing. They would not become genin until they passed this additional training, which included both the hated e-rank 'missions' as well as specific jutsu or other training.

Naruto ate his meal swiftly, glancing around at the others at the table but maintaining his silence. The two Hyuuga brothers conversed quietly about repairs to the stables of the compound, and Hinata-chan and Hanabi-chan were talking quietly enough that he could not hear.

As usual, Neji said nothing,and Naruto was not inclined to strike up a conversation. As he finished his miso soup and began to rise, Hiashi turned his head to face him. "Naruto. Report to my study, I will be along presently. There is something we must discuss."

"Hai, Hiashi-sama." Naruto bowed and walked out of the eating area, heading down the much wider corridors of the Main Branch section of the House. After a few minutes he entered the study of Hiashi, and sat quietly on the seat in front of the broad desk.

He glanced around the room, familiar with its storied contents but always interested in what he saw. The shelves held not only scrolls but various knickknacks that Hiashi had gathered over the years – a broken Kumo katana, a row of bloodied or bent forehead protectors from various hidden villages, a pair of intricately carved teak muai from Tea Country, and shelf after shelf of various folded origami cranes and birds, each one slightly different in design.

The panel door slid open behind him and Hiashi walked into the room, moving to the far side of the desk and sitting down, his features empty and cool as always. "According to the instructors of the Academy, you have performed very well in the primary schooling. I am informed you are first in your class."

"Yes, Hiashi-sama."

The elder grunted and nodded, narrowing his eyes. "It is my strong belief that most likely you will be chosen for a jonin apprenticeship … but the Hokage is considering changing the structure of the program to more closely match older designs, now that we have recovered most of our manpower from the Kyuubi Incident and the Fifty-Hour War."

He paused, steepling his fingers. "It is possible that you may, instead of being moved to a direct apprenticeship, may be placed in a three-person team under an elite jonin instead. This would allow early practice to be done on teamwork, as well as spread out the amount of knowledge passed down by certain non-clan jonin."

Naruto said nothing, only listening. After a moment, the Hyuuga continued. "But before that point, I once told you that there were … reasons … why you were different than other members of this clan. Reasons that I would explain to you upon becoming a genin. As that day is likely to be today...I am here to explain."

Naruto took a deep breath. "Of course, Hiashi-sama. Danzo-sama, in the brief visits I have had with him, has informed me that I am … important."

To Naruto's surprise, Hiashi actually snorted. "The Hokage is, as usual, laconic." He fixed his gaze on Naruto. "What I will tell you will be hard – very hard – to accept. Understand that it was concealed from almost everyone, not just you, and that you were not told earlier due to the danger this knowledge conveys. And that to reveal ANY of it to anyone is violation of an S-Class secret."

Naruto's eyes widened involuntarily before he could control his features, but Hiashi only nodded. "That is correct, Naruto. The punishment would be death. Another person was supposed to be here to unveil some of this, but after some consideration that was changed to having me do so, as I am the … most familiar adult figure in your life."

Naruto almost got the feeling Hiashi was stalling, but shook it off. "I understand. I will never repeat any of this information … and I am ready for whatever I am to learn."

Hiashi fixed his gaze on the boy. "You are familiar with the Kyuubi Incident?"

Naruto frowned but nodded. "Yes. The Kyuubi was contained by the Fourth, who sealed it into a young child, Sai Utari. The boy's identity as a jinchuriki was leaked by an idiotic civilian who panicked. So far the boy has been in the direct guidance and control of the Hokage and what remains of the Uchiha Clan after the Massacre."

Hiashi nodded. "What you have been told, Naruto … is not the truth. It is a cover story. The boy, Sai, does indeed contain a great amount of the Kyuubi's chakra...but not the Kyuubi."

Naruto frowned again in perplexity. "I'm not sure I follow, Hiashi-sama."

Hiashi took a deep breath. "The Kyuubi was sealed, by the Hokage. However, the Kyuubi is not like the other tailed beasts. Its power is supreme – so strong that its killing intent alone killed hundreds, and a single touch of that poisonous chakra crippled or killed many ninja. No child – even a young child – could have adapted. Indeed no human could have, except one line – the Uzumaki Clan, possessed of titanic chakra and a powerful life force."

Hiashi reached into his desk, pulling out a blood-sealed scroll. "The previous jinchuriki of the Kyuubi – and yes, there was one – was named Kushina Uzumaki. While we are not sure what happened, it appears an enemy force somehow was able to extract the Kyuubi from Kushina while she and the seal of the beast were still weakened … from childbirth."

"The baby boy of Kushina was the real jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, and his identity has been kept a secret using every possible method. For the child of Kushina was not only the jinchuriki, but the son of the Fourth."

Naruto gasped, then nodded. "Of course. Iwa and Kumo would stop at nothing to kill such a baby. But... why tell me this?"

Hiashi gave him a pained smile. "In order to make sure the baby was not discovered, his parentage could not be known. Unfortunately, the baby was born with bright blond hair and blue eyes – exactly the same as his father. Thus the boy was surgically altered to look different. His hair was changed with fuinjutsu to a different color, and his eyes were surgically replaced. His birth records were sealed and fakes presented."

"Only one thing could not be changed at the time … the sign of the Kyuubi no Kitsune on the host. Three faint whisker-like marks across each cheek."

Naruto couldn't process the words for long seconds. A thousand questions that had tormented him for years were suddenly answered. Why Danzo and the Hyuuga had him meditate and focus to suppress the marks. Why he wasn't really Main or Branch house. The seal on his stomach, which had been explained away as a medical seal he'd needed to survive an early illness. Why his eyes had taken so long to activate and his Byukugan was the weakest in the clan. Why his chakra systems sometimes flickered with bits of red when he was angered.

Hiashi continued to speak. "A young Hyuuga of the main house was killed in the attack, barely more than a year old. Once you were old enough, your eyes were removed and replaced with the eyes of that member, and you were placed in the care of the Hyuuga Clan. We have limited your outside travels – to prevent any chance of the secret escaping. You have been trained in the older-style of Ryoken instead of Juken not because of your weak eyes, but because with the Ryoken you can shatter the organs of an enemy with the Kyuubi's chakra."

"Your real name is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. You are the jailer of the Kyuubi, and the single most important person in Kohona. You protect the village from the monster within you every single day, without fail."

Naruto tried vainly to gather his emotions and thoughts, but no exercise could help with this. "I.."

Hiashi said nothing for a long moment as the boy shook, then gave a faint nod. "This cannot be easy to accept. That your whole life has been, in essence, deception. But I do not need to pretend to have pride in what you have achieved. You have mastered the basics of our fighting style, comported yourself as well as any Main Branch Hyuuga in public and in private, and will continue to bring pride to us. While I am not your biological father … and I am poor, perhaps, at demonstrations of affection … I am very proud to have raised you. I am very proud of your skills, your maturity, and above all else your ability to bring Hinata out of her shell after the death of her mother and her near kidnapping."

Naruto's eyes snapped to meet his. Long training in how to interpret expression, emotion, and meaning fell into place, and he saw that Hiashi was serious – and as open as he could be. A shaky sort of relief came over him. "...but I'm not really a Hyuuga..."

Hiashi gave a shrug. "You have our eyes. You wear our clan symbol. You fight in our method. You should be proud of your true mother and father, do not mistake me. When the time comes, a man who was close to them both will tell you more about them, and introduce you to some of the jutsu and fighting styles they used." He grimaced. "I have a few pictures of your mother and father...your mother was, unlike you, quite rowdy and loud."

He gave a faint smile. "But no matter what, Naruto – you will always be a Hyuuga, welcome in our halls, and part of my family."

Naruto took a shaky breath. "Who else knows?"

Hiashi leaned back. The boy had internalized the shock and was focusing on the matters that were of importance, good. "That you house the Kyuubi? The Hokage. Myself and Kagami Uchiha, his advisory committee. The two teammates of the Third, in their role on the Council. Inochi Yamanaka and Shibi Aburame, as clan heads of the other two clans that could see through any subterfuge to realize what you are. Mikoto Uchiha and more than likely Shisui Uchiha as well." He sighed. "It is more than likely that quiet a few of our clansmen suspect, and it is certainly possible your friend Shino knows, from his kikachu. Ino Yamanaka knows something is not right because she has no doubt been told not to use her clan jutsu on you for any reason. Young Sasuke does not know yet, but he will when his Sharingan develops."

Hiashi leveled his gaze at Naruto. "No one – absolutely no one – but myself and the people above – know about your true heritage. And there is no way for anyone to find out. That is for your protection – Iwa cannot afford for Minato's line to continue, and for the hirashin to return. And your ancestor clan, the Uzumaki, were destroyed by Kumo and Kiri allying and nearly managed to win before they were betrayed from within."

He folded his arms. "I cannot stress enough how important it is that you keep this all a secret. I am trusting you – and the Hokage is trusting you – to know the truth, as you are about to become a soldier of this Hidden Village. Most of that trust is due to what you have shown me – do not disappoint me."

Naruto bowed his head. "...hai, Hiashi-sama. But...what do I do if someone figures out about the Kyuubi? For that matter, how will I know if I become unsafe?"

Hiashi gave a thin smile. "For the latter, it is simple. The medics that examined you felt you had a slight amount of ability with the Mokuton, the art of the Senju Lord Hashirama. As it turns out, the affinity you have is far too weak to manifest externally … yet it does work on you, yourself. The Mokuton disrupts and suppresses bijuu chakra, which is how Lord Hashirama was able to subdue the bijuu in the first place."

He folded his hands together. "In your case, your daily meditation works to strengthen your control and suppress the beast. As long as your whisker-marks are not visible, you do not need to worry about the Kyuubi. By all of the reports from Inochi when he mindwalked you, the beast is still asleep."

He straightened. "As for if someone figures it out...the only thing you can do is immediately take them to see the Hokage or myself. If they appear to be unable to keep quiet, you will – and have authority to – subdue them and take them to the Hokage."

He unsealed the blood seal on the scroll. "This sealing scroll contains a gift from someone who knew your father and mother. It is a haori, like the one you wear, but it has certain seals inside of it that will provide additional shielding against efforts to discern the Kyuubi inside you.." He paused. "It is amusing that your father also favored wearing a haori."

Naruto's eyes shone for a moment. "The Fourth...my..." He trailed off and sighed. "I … I am glad this was kept secret. I have seen how the jin... that is, Sai, is treated. If I had been known as the jinchuriki I would have been treated poorly as well, wouldn't I?"

Hiashi shrugged. "Perhaps. Civilians do not understand the sealing arts, and any ninja who is ignorant enough to hate a container of a demon for what he holds within him is not thinking clearly. The boy is trained and watched over, and the ugly truth is that if he had not been chosen, as an orphan with no parents and no way to survive he might not even have lived a year after the attack."

Naruto nodded slowly, but a part of his mind still found it unfair someone else suffered so that he didn't have to. It felt far too much like some of the things he'd seen in the Branch Family. "I...understand."

Hiashi nodded, and unsealed the haori. "Good. Put this on, and then it will be time for you to depart to the Academy for your final test." He paused. "Naruto."

The boy looked up from the haori, and Hiashi gave him the best smile he could. "You are more than who your parents were, or what you house. You remain Naruto Hyuuga to the public, and you are a valued and treasured member of this clan. I know you are strong enough to overcome any obstacle in your path if you only put your mind to it. Do not let this derail your progress."

Naruto exhaled, and standing, shook out the haori, admiring the much finer quality and the faint blue edging along the trim-line. "...I will not forget, Hiashi-sama. At the same time..."

He bowed, deeply, as he had been taught to do to those far above his station. "I owe you my life and my current status, and I will not forget the debt I owe the Clan. Thank you."

Hiashi nodded, pleased. "There is no debt...but all the same, you are welcome. Now, go. Hinata will accompany you, see if you cannot reinforce her spirit with some of your own steel."

Naruto turned and departed, shutting the door behind him. Hiashi leaned back, wondering briefly how events would transpire from this event. It was risky to inform the boy, but Kagami had argued long and hard that hiding the truth from the boy would get harder and harder, and if he discovered it on his own it might ruin him.

Hiashi hated gambling, but all he could do now was see how the dice fell out.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Up until this point I have somewhat focused on 'setting the stage' – a bit too much show rather than tell. A bit too much speeding past a few things. While I certainly could have expanded out this part, that isn't really the story I want to tell._

 _However, before I go any further in writing this story, there's two things you should know._

 _First, if you're familiar with my other story (Of Sheep and Battlechicken) you'll know it's full of angst, darkness, conspiracies, horror and people who are more fucked up than a soup sandwich. You'd be forgiven to imagine, given how this piece starts, that the Consequencesverse would be the same._

 _It is not. The ultimate point is to instead tell a tale of defiance, of loyalty to friends, of finding a way to piece that isn't rainbow-colored bullshit, and an answer to the ultimate question presented by the Sage of Six Paths – how to turn the world back to the days of ninshu, of using chakra for what it was brought into the world for, rather than war._

 _So if you are worried this is going to be another angst-fest with woe-is-me people, rest easy._

 _Second, there's certain … trends in Naruto fanfiction that seem very common among some of the highest reviewed/rated stories. Tell me if you've heard this before._

 _A Naruto AU fic. Naruto grows up abused/physically abused/beaten, doesn't hate the village despite this, somehow attracts some super teacher (or teachers) despite having no talent, uses thousands of shadow clones to become godly, has a harem of girls despite not even hitting puberty (including full grown women old enough to be his mother), develops some sort of fucking blood line limit (extra points if it's the Sharingan), and basically always wins. People who mistreat him are shallower than piss in snow, the Council of civilians somehow overrides the Hokage, blah blah blah._

 _Extra points for OC love interests (triple for SI!), foxy tails/ears/whatever, or gay pairings that result in mPreg. Double bonus extra points if he's in ANBU as a ten year old._

 _If ANY of the above is what you like to see in a fic, please, do yourself a favor._

 _Go find another story. Because none of that shit is going to happen in this one. Pretty much all of the above is why the Naruto fandom is full of crap._

 _Some other shit that won't be happening:_

 _No Super Naruto. Danzo's cleverness backfires on him a bit in this regard. While Naruto will indeed be pretty devastating in certain ways, in others he won't be. That will become more understandable as the fic expands. But the bottom line is that Naruto will never people powerful enough to fight his enemies without help – and that TEAMWORK actually means something. He has a crappy version of the_ Byakugan _and his Mokuton does nothing but help him sort of suppress the Kyuubi. A bit._

 _No piles upon piles of jutsu. His chakra control will always be garbage, no matter how much he works at it, and most jutsu will simply not perform very well. Nor am I going to waste huge amounts of time on intricate lists of dozens of jutsu that will never get used. He will have a small group that he refines and attempts to use in an intelligent manner: chakra strikes using bijuu chakra, shadow clones, rasengan, hirashin, some earth jutsu, and maybe a few fuin things.  
_

 _No dozens of teachers. Danzo isn't stupid enough to let Naruto get trained much by people who will lead him astray (that is, away from Danzo's way of thinking.) He'll be trained either by Hyuuga or by Danzo, rarely interacting much with Tsunade and Jiraya until his mindset is already fixed._

 _No use of shadow-clone training techniques. Having fifty clones do something you aren't good at just means you have fifty memories of fucking it up. I really don't care if you disagree. If this method was even half-ass legit, Kohona would have crushed the entire planet since even a single clone doubles your training speed._

 _Romance will eventually be a part of the fic, but not the expected pairing and certainly not until they turn fifteen / sixteen at the earliest._

 _They are fucking NINJA , not goddamned Super Saiyan. The focus in battle is on trickery, stealth, speed, misdirection, killing blows._

 _With that out of the way..._

 _I tend not to reply to reviews in the story, as it messes up the flows of things. I don't put in 'polls' for who should be the pairings or what jutsu should be learned or anything like that. I tend to outline out my stories far in advance, so on some levels these things are known._

 _There will be two companion pieces to the story. One will cover the modern day Elemental Nations, and the other will cover both ancient history and what happens after the story ends. They are not required reading but will answer some questions._


	6. Graduation

**A/N:**

 _Be prepared for adjustments in ages of some students. Longer note at the bottom.  
_

* * *

Kagami Uchiha stood on the observation deck overlooking the Genin Testing Area, arms folded, legs set apart and locked, chin lifted, face set into an arrogant smirk. Danzo remembered Madara often standing in the same aggravating pose, and wondered if the method of holding one's self in such a manner was some kind of Uchiha jutsu.

Dismissing the thought as unworthy, he spoke in a soft tone. "This year's class appears to contain a great deal of talent. Aside from Naruto, there a number of remarkable talents. The Aburame boy is exceptional, one of the civilian-born applicants has nearly perfect chakra control, and the Hyuuga heiress is quiet impressive. Both of the Nara children show genius level intellect. And Sasuke, in particular, is proving to be quite the driven learner, the second best in the class – a single point behind Naruto himself."

Kagami snorted. "Hn. Second is not first, and yet the boy is still too arrogant in his skills. Not that arrogant behavior is bad in my clan – it often drives enemies to do stupid things or expose their skills for our eyes – but one has to be careful not to let such arrogance become blinding. More than one fool of a clansman has thought these eyes to equal invincibility and has died for it. They are tools, nothing more. If the boy can use his arrogance in the proper manner instead of being a fool like his father, maybe he'll be worth something."

Danzo gave a small shrug in return. "One could argue losing sight of such a thing is why your clan is in the condition it is now. And comment on the irony of the clan with the strongest eyes losing sight of anything at all."

Kagami grimaced. The idiocy of Fugaku and the Uchiha Elders had forced the hand of Danzo, just as he had predicted. While Homura and Koharu wanted to believe a negotiated settlement with the Uchiha clan was possible – more of Sarutobi's softness, even from the grave – the information provided by Itachi and Shisui showed this to be an impossibility.

Kagami was still astonished at the sheer impudence of Fugaku – thinking his own grandson would betray him for the clan was the very sort of arrogant thinking that he'd just commented upon. And yet, both Shisui and Itachi were brought into the conspiracy – which of course meant the Hokage and his advisers knew all about said conspiracy from the very beginning. It was the same kind of sloppy, arrogant presumption that marred much of the Uchiha history to think they could defeat the entire village...but that was Fugaku for you. Despite his skill and intellect, he was as rock-headed as the mountain of legends he was named for.

A part of Kagami could understand Fugaku's – and indeed, the clan's – frustration. The Nidaime had never trusted the Uchiha, and Sarutobi, for all his other faults, was not a fool. The Uchiha had been the prime suspect for somehow being involved in the Kyuubi incident, and despite Danzo and the ANBU having cleared them and laying the blame on a yet-unknown and highly hypothetical rogue Uchiha, the people's trust in the clan was broken. The fact most of them had not even participated in the fight, claiming they were 'defending the population', only made such distrust more open.

The Hyuuga and their less-than-subtle insults had not aided matters much, while Kagami himself was still privately irritated the container had not been put in the trust of his own Clan. While in the end that was for the best, given what had eventually happened...his pride was stung.

Nevertheless, the actions of the Uchiha had drawn down a great deal of attention. Itachi claimed his father was planning to kill the Hokage and most of the clan heads, and was boasting of a new 'secret weapon' that would make taking over the village much easier.

While the Hokage and Kagami had been busy seeking such a possible weapon, Shisui had been attacked by unknown forces, and had one of his eyes removed by whoever the attacker was. Danzo claimed it was the Uchiha Elders, who planned to use the special abilities of Shisui's Sharingan to dominate the clans and take over, hence the idea of a special weapon.

With open rebellion a possibility and his grandson mutilated, Kagami had agreed with Danzo's plan to remove the danger presented by his clan. Given that Shisui was recovering in the hospital under heavy ANBU guard, all he had to do was leave for a trip to the capital to, as Danzo put it, get out of the way.

And thus, the clan was nearly extinguished in a single night of blood.

The public story was that Itachi, driven mad either by being pushed too hard to excel and his ANBU service or some other reason, had massacred the elder council, his own father, and much of the clan. The only survivors were Kagami, Shisui, Sasuke, Sasuke's mother Mikoto, and two other families with two children each who. Itachi was 'driven off' by the responding ANBU, lead by Kakashi, and was now an S-ranked criminal.

The truth was much darker. ROOT had done most of the killing, using plans and strategies Kagami himself had drawn up. Itachi had only been instructed to kill the ringleaders, but after having to kill his own father was in no condition to handle the rest. Some of the ringleaders escaped and tried to rally the entire clan to battle against Kohona – and all but the survivors had answered.

They were overwhelmed almost instantly, borne down by a tide of ROOT ANBU. They were killed and dozens of sets of Sharingan eyes were harvested, to be implanted Kakashi-style into the ranks of ROOT. The district was seized by the village and much of it sold off, although enough remained that the Uchiha who survived would still be very, very rich.

Although glad to be out of the walled prison that was their district, Kagami was somewhat troubled by the harvesting of the eyes, but then again, he'd warned the fools – repeatedly – of the cost of rebellion. And when Danzo had been gracious enough to surrender one of them so that Shisui could use it, Kagami felt making a fuss about it would have been somewhat hypocritical. He'd always been proud of his clan...but at the same time, the clan had changed so much since he was young that he sometimes felt it wasn't his clan at all.

Ah, the things one could achieve with moral gymnastics. But several troubling issues remained.

Itachi had fled without the planned debriefing from the Hokage, and had destroyed something in the small shrine of the Uchiha Clan, hidden below floorboards. Kagami had plead ignorance of what that could have been to Danzo, but he knew full well Itachi had destroyed the tablet describing the method of achieving the Mangekyō Sharingan. The fact that the shrine had been destroyed using Amaterasu, the Undying Flame, meant that Itachi had probably activated that fell eye himself in the course of slaying his family.

Given what the Mangekyō tended to do the psyche of those who activated it on purpose instead of accidentally, Itachi was probably crazy by now.

Second, the ROOT assault leaders reported finding information that the Uchiha Elders had been in contact with unknown persons in Ame and in Kiri. The communications they found were vague and some of it was in a cypher they had still not cracked, but the implications – that elements of those two villages were trying to cause disruptions in Kohona – was troubling. Shisui had not heard anything about that, but remembered that Itachi had been dispatched several times on orders from Fugaku to missions in Wave – close enough to Kiri and Ame to be reachable without raising any eyebrows.

Finally, despite searching all clan members and the entire Uchiha district, the missing eye of Shisui had not been found. Kagami was beginning to suspect that Danzo was behind the disappearance – either his ROOT agents had found the thing in the assault and Danzo kept it quiet...or that it was ROOT who assaulted Shisui and stole the eye in the first place.

He shook his head, unwilling to go too far down that line of thinking. Danzo never hid the fact that, like Kagami himself, he would go to any lengths to secure Kohona. Leaving the power to dominate minds in the hands of a young man from a clan that had just rebelled, despite the fact he had acted as a double agent and proven his loyalty, was unthinkable.

Unlike Fugaku, Kagami knew full well how dangerous Danzo was. Despite the fact that the two men worked well together and had for over forty years, Kagami knew Danzo would kill him and the rest of his clan in a heartbeat if there was an advantage for Kohona to be had, or if they became a danger.

The coldly pragmatic part of him, the part that had interested the Nidaime and driven him to become Clan Head at nineteen, the part that had steered the Uchiha Clan through a pair of Ninja Wars and built it up to become one of the most powerful forces in the village, could understand and accept such a cold action. The part of him that was a Uchiha hated it. But regardless, he was not about to bring it up. If Danzo had the eye, he would find it did not work on those who possessed an active Sharingan themselves – and if he wanted to brainwash the rest of the village to ensure Kohona's dominance, that was fine with him.

Unfortunately, that still left the problem that his clan now consisted of a grand total of less twenty people, and needed to rebuild its ranks quickly.

Well, and Obito, but that crippled fool didn't count. Quite frankly, if he'd died on that idiot mission it would have been no great loss, and the fact that the sentimental idiot had GIVEN away one of his eyes infuriated him. At least Kakashi had made better use of the thing than Obito ever could, given his condition.

Thus, he was here, watching Sasuke in the open demonstration component of the test, being evaluated on his physical fitness and chakra nature, hoping to see that the boy was at least able to live up to his name given the trauma he'd been exposed to.

Danzo glanced over to look at him. "You seem lost in thought."

Kagami gave a faint smile. "Attempting to determine the best way to rebuild the clan again, that is all. We no longer have the members to do in-clan marriages. Mikoto is still young enough to have one more child, but I doubt she will ever want to enter into marriage again – she is already making noises about rejoining the jonin ranks. Shisui is dating that Nara girl, and we'll have to see about the younger children once they get a bit older."

Danzo nodded. "And Sasuke?"

Kagami gave a chuckle. "He's got four or five years of dodging love-struck girls ahead of him. If he's like most of us, he won't want to settle down for a bit yet, especially once he's old enough that the girl's attentions are … appreciated instead of irritating. It's a stage most of us pretty boys go through."

Kagami was slightly surprised to hear the rusty chuckle that was the closest Danzo ever got to full out laughter. "You were never a pretty boy, Kagami. You were just stubborn. I remember Iyalia hitting you in the head every time you asked her out for a date, and I thought Old Man Yamanaka was going to fry your brain when you got her pregnant."

Kagami winced. Given the often delicate appearance of the Yamanaka, his wife's father – a mountain of a man with a voice like irritated thunder – had been incredibly intimidating to a seventeen year old boy. "Worked out in the end, though, didn't it?" He then sighed, and shrugged. "You haven't asked about her recently. I'm assuming you haven't found out anything?"

Danzo gave a careful shake of his head. "Whoever nearly killed her was very good at covering their tracks. I can only speculate as to motive, but the equipment used was made in Sea Country – which provides gear to a dozen minor nations, nine of which have hidden villages. The cats-paws of some other group, no doubt." He made a fist with his good hand. "Do not worry, old friend. I will find out who was behind it, and they will pay."

Kagami waved it off. "Vengeance is a road my clan should never travel, Danzo." He would have said more, but instead arched an eyebrow as the chakra nature testing was beginning. The testing was simple enough : a student channeled chakra into a specially prepared plate of chakra metal, and fuinjutsu symbols along the top rim would light up based on the elemental nature. A symbol that did not illuminate meant no talent in that type. Blue was weak, green was strong, and white was very strong. Red indicated an elemental dual-nature – something almost never seen.

He narrowed his eyes as Sasuke stepped up, channeling his chakra into the fuin-inscribed plate of metal at the front of the room, then smiled widely when the symbols for fire and lightning both illuminated, the fire glowing green, the lightning white.

"Good fire affinity and outstanding lightning affinity. Quite a surprise for the boy to have lightning instead of the usual wind." Danzo's voice was musing.

Kagami nodded at Danzo's words. "The question is, who should he be apprenticed to? The only good lightning users of jonin rank are Kakashi and that utter fool Gai, who doesn't even use ninjutsu. There are a few others who have the skillset...but they are all chunin."

Danzo nodded. "I have a member in my own ranks who is excellent at lightning release, he can tutor the boy. But given what we plan to do with this year's ranks, it's most likely he will end up in a team and can learn at his own pace."

Kagami watched a few other children test their chakra, with most unable to activate even a single sigil. "Oh? You are still committed to going back to three man jonin-led teams?"

Danzo nodded. "We now have enough new ninja that one-on-one training would mean some possible outstanding students don't get taught. Given the size of this class...twelve should be sufficient, four three-man teams. The rest will be handled per normal." He looked at Kagami. "Which leaves the question who exactly should your child be paired with?"

Kagami thought on this as he watched Naruto touch the chakra plate, with bright white symbols for earth and water and a very faint green symbol for lightning. "Huh, three elements."

Danzo nodded. "The Earth and Water are probably from the Kyuubi. People assume it is related to fire, but the elemental make up of most of the attacks we saw were doton. After all, the stories claims it raised earthquakes and tidal waves, not firestorms."

Kagami nodded. "Interesting choice." He watched the next few children test, frowning as one came up with pink hair. "Pink?"

Danzo glanced over the railing, and gave a black scowl. "Dye, perhaps. Frivolous." He then gave a soft exhalation as the girl activated bright green for lightning and blue for wind. "...interesting. No one else had expressed lightning affinity except those three. And between them they cover Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, and Lightning."

Kagami gave the Hokage a look. "I do not think putting Naruto on a team with Sasuke – much less some civilian girl – is necessarily wise." He paused to watch the Nara boy test his affinity, coming out with a strong connection to the usual earth, and continued. "Despite how well the boy's tenant is hidden, the Sharingan will see the chakra if Naruto becomes unable to control it, and will have questions that are difficult to answer."

Danzo nodded at this. "Very true. However, consider – this is going to be true of any team the boy is on. Shibi's son probably already knows, and if he doesn't the first time they get into a life or death fight he's likely to find out. Ino Yamanaka is, by all reports, too nosy and headstrong to resist using her clan jutsu without being told exactly why she cannot do so. Hinata already suspects, based on what Hiashi tells me."

He gestured to the rows of children below. "And in any case, whoever he is paired with will eventually have to know once we begin attempting to have him use that chakra. Some of what we have learned with Sai will be useful there. As it stands, I already have workable team templates setup – all that remains is to brief the jonin I have chosen."

Kagami shrugged. "Then at least let me tell Sasuke myself. It would help to frame the issue in … a certain light that will be constructive and motivating."

Danzo mulled this for several seconds. "...as you wish. Now, the main bulk of the tests is done, it is time to speak to the cadets. I trust you will handle the Silent?"

Kagami nodded. "Yes. I'll have a report for the ROOT when I'm done."

O-DANZOSAMA-O

The class, once over a hundred twenty students strong, had been broken down into smaller groups, each sent into a separate room. Each room was identical – sixty desks and chairs, arranged in a semicircle around an elevated plinth with the teacher's desk, flanked by chalkboards and chakra resistant plates for the demonstration of jutsu. Charts of human anatomy and maps of the Elemental Nations crowded the back wall.

After the long series of tests, each group had been herded along, and given a particular armband to wear designating their skillset – or lack thereof. They were instructed to wait patiently to be briefed.

The largest group, some fifty five students, were those with some minor chakra ability, but not really enough to join the ranks of the genin. These were slated to join either a civilian finishing school or the reserve program. Each one had been given a pale blue armband. They talked quietly among themselves – all of them were civilian born, and this result was hardly a surprise or disappointment to most of them. The jonin in charge of the militia program was even now briefing them on the choice they faced, along with the advantages and needs to join the program.

In the room next to them , dwarfed by the number of empty seats, were six boys and two girls with zero chakra capacity who were going to be enlisted in the ranks of the Silent. Such children were rare, and to have eight in one year was almost unheard of. Each one wore a black armband, and glanced at each other nervously, and then at the man who entered their room – an old man with dark hair and a dangerous air about him, who smiled thinly at their trepidation.

A third room held the forty-five or so children with the chakra levels suitable for further training, which would last until they were moved into the general ninja ranks as high genin. While the majority of these children were from shinobi families or even clans, there was a sprinkling of civilians with innate talent. Each one had a green armband, printed with their chakra affinity and several other numbers.

Finally, twelve boys and girls sat in a class room by themselves with white armbands and numbers from 1 to 12 showing their overall class ranking. With a single exception, all of them were members of one of the Great Clans of Kohona.

The standout, a smaller girl with thin limbs and pale pink hair, chewed her lip nervously, eyeing the bold number nine on her armband. She'd expected to maybe make it to the lower ranks of those at least chosen for further shinobi education...but never had she even dreamed to be one of the top ten percent of the class.

The others in the room had broken up into small groups – the Aburame and the two Hyuuga off by themselves, the Yamanaka, Akamichi and the two Nara siblings sitting in the middle, the lonely looking Uchiha boy who was so cute by himself, and the two dog using Inuzuka sitting close to the door and chatting with the Sarutobi boy. The girl was too intimidated to try to talk to any of them, so she instead nervously went back over the thick test packet she'd been handed.

As she did so, however, the door opened, and an old man walked into the room. His rich black kimono was obscured by the white and red Hokage robes, and his hat was in his hands, revealing his bandaged eye. His other eye was fierce, dark, cold and narrow, the hard planes of his face set off by scars, most prominent the X shaped one on his chin.

What little of his hair that could be seen was still thick and black, although a bit of silver was visible on his left temple. With an elegance that belied the need for the cane he held or his bound arm, he sat down on top of the teacher's desk at the front of the class slantwise.

His voice was deep, rough and grave, and completely without inflection. "You have proven yourselves to be the most talented students of this year's cadet classes. You have been soldiers from the moment you entered our scholastic system, but now you have made your first steps towards progress – in your future ninja careers and in defending our home."

His eye flickered over the class. "Congratulations on the first step, but keep in mind this is only a step. You are no doubt aware of the general practice when it comes to the top students of each class – a private, one-on-one apprenticeship to an elite jonin-sensei."

He glanced around the room, measuring interest. Sasuke was fixated on him, the Inuzuka twins looked pleased, and the Nara boy was clearly bored, while his sister looked like she was going to fall asleep. As expected, Naruto was listening attentively, while Shino merely adjusted his glasses. The civilian girl, Haruno, looked worried.

"However, such a method was put into place mostly due to the fact that we needed forces trained as rapidly as possible, with as many skills as possible. It has been a successful program for the most part, and produced many fine ninja. But by definition it is limited by the number of available elite jonin without an apprentice for any given year, and we have almost reached capacity."

"As such, your records and test results will be used, along with other methods, to determine the best results for you as you are placed in three-man teams lead by a jonin. This is the method Kohona used once to train students – I myself was on one such team, along with Kagami Uchiha and Choji's grandfather, Torifu."

He saw the Akamichi's eyes widen, and continued. "This method will enable you to learn the true power of Kohona. Teamwork. Each of you is talented, but as genin, very limited. But even when you are in the fullness of your power and maturity, you must remember that the ninja world you are entering is not something you can survive without backup."

"You are, like all shinobi and kunochi, tools for the village. But a swordsman's blade, while being a tool, is also his most valued possession. It must be honed, cared for, and used in the proper manner, or the blade will shatter, regardless of how strong it is. Thus it is so with us. I will not coddle you due to your youth and claim this is a job for anyone. Your job is murder, terror, confusion and deception."

He glanced around again. "You may have expected ninja life to consist of huge and powerful jutsu and flashy maneuvers. This is not so. The average battle between two ninja lasts less than ten seconds. That brief span of time could be your last one day, if you are not prepared. Battles that drag out are only found at the very highest levels of power, and it is … unlikely … that you will see or have to face such enemies for a decade or more."

He straightened slightly. "If there is one thing I must impress upon all of you, it is simple." His left hand made a subtle hand-sign, as his voice took on a ringing tone of command. " **Emotions are dangerous when left uncontrolled. Master your emotions lest they master you.** "

Everyone in the class blinked, as if confused, and the old man in front of them seemed to sag a bit, before grunting and standing. "The instructors for this year are meeting even now. You are dismissed for thirty minutes to obtain lunch, then report back to this room at two. Anyone not on time will be _dismissed_ from the shinobi program – am I clear?"

In unison, the class responded. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Good. Off you go...with one exception. Haruno, a moment."

Sakura Haruno stiffened in fear before shivering and standing, walking over to the Hokage and bowing nervously, as her mother had taught her to do. "Y-yes, Hokage-sama?"

Danzo waited the few seconds until the class emptied to speak. "It has been many years since a civilian-born ninja was able to place so highly in the rankings. The last person to do so, in fact, was Jiraiya of the Sannin. Your teachers were very impressed with your chakra control...and the fact you have two affinities. That is … highly unlikely in a child of non-shinobi parents."

Sakura bit her lip. "M-my mother doesn't know much about her parents...and my great-grandfather was a Kumo samurai who was a failed ninja."

Danzo said nothing for two long seconds, then nodded. "Interesting. I am impressed with your performance, Haruno, as well as your potential talent. However, I expect all of my potential shinobi to be serious. Hair dye is not professional."

She blushed. "Hokage-sama, that is my natural hair color. M-my father has the same."

Danzo gave her a clear look of incredulity for a split second before surprising her with a rusty-sounding chuckle. "Is that so? How strange." He ran a finger down his jawline thoughtfully. "Very well. You may go."

He watched her leave and then made a subtle signal with his good hand. One of his ROOT appeared next to him. "Danzo-sama?"

"Do a workup on a civilian family. Haruno. Petty merchants, I believe. Hospital records, blood work, and financial. Bizarre hair color is usually a signifier of some kind of genetic modification...like a kekkai genkai. It's possible the girl is a plant...however unlikely. Make sure that isn't the case."

The ROOT member paused. "And if it is the case, Danzo-sama? Liquidation or T&I?"

Danzo was silent for two seconds before speaking. "Neither. Localize the backers and report back, take no action at this time."

The ROOT gave a short nod and vanished, as Danzo slowly picked up his cane and thought ahead to the afternoon.

O-DANZOSAMA-O

Naruto frowned as he entered the food stand, walking behind Shino and in front of Hinata and Ino. He'd never been here before – he'd rarely been anywhere in the village, actually – and was content to follow Shino's lead.

The food stall was small – a kitchen behind a serving counter with six seats, a pair of tables in the rear with more seats protected by a canvas overhang – but the smell was certainly appealing. Shino walked quietly up to the counter and took a seat, and the rest followed his actions.

The proprietor was an older man, with unusually hard features set into a pleased smile. "Ah, Shino-san, good afternoon? You brought friends, this time?"

Shino nodded, his lower face concealed behind his high collar. "Hai, Teuchi-san. These are my classmates, Ino Yamanaka, and Naruto and Hinata Hyuuga." He paused. "We have been chosen to join the elite program, and were given until two to find sustenance."

The ramen chef gave a surprisingly sharp glance over the rest of the children before nodding briskly. "A pleasure to meet you all. Shino, I'll have your favorite made up – what would the rest of you like?"

Ino glanced over the menu, sighing. "A chicken ramen, please."

Hinata's soft voice sounded next. "Miso ramen, sir."

Naruto glanced over the menu absently. To be honest he was not that hungry, but he was responsible for the safety of Hinata, and he supposed working to get to know future teammates would be of some use. His mind was still recovering from the shock of learning his burden. With a sigh he gave a shrug and placed the menu down. "I'll take a miso ramen as well."

The chef was already in motion, deftly moving ingredients about and stirring various coppered kettles full of boiling noodles. Shino spoke softly as he watched him cook. "When I was small, my father would bring me here to eat. Some restaurants do not … appreciate the sacrifices of my clan, and prefer not to have us in their facilities. Teuchi-san, on the other hand, was honored. We have patronized his business for years."

Naruto arched an eyebrow, but Ino gave a frown. "People don't like your bugs, Shino-kun? Stupid idiots."

Hinata sounded apologetic. "People often fear what they do not understand...and people do not want to understand what they fear." She sighed. "Look at how they treat that poor boy with the Kyuubi sealed in him."

Ino rolled her eyes. "That's different. I can see people being nervous about that, even if it's stupid – that guy is the creepiest person I've ever met. But … I've seen Shino's bugs. My family has them all around, they help us with the arboretum we use for our poisons and trance medications."

Naruto gave a faint, bitter smile. He wondered how his friends would react when the truth about him came out. Shrugging it aside, he spoke. "Hiashi-sama always has said that to cater to the whims of fools is to make yourself a fool." He turned to Shino. "I'm sorry your family has to put up with that."

Four bowls were placed in front of them as Shino nodded calmly. "I was merely explaining my familiarity, Naruto-san."

Naruto took a pinch of the noodles into his chopsticks and ate, then raised both eyebrows in surprise. "...this is delicious!" He ate more rapidly, although careful to maintain the rigid decorum drilled into him by Hiashi, and Hinata giggled.

"Naruto-nii, you usually don't like things like this." She smiled, happy to see her brother-figure so animated for once.

"But this is really good!"

The stall was silent for several minutes, save for the sound of slurped noddles, and then the sound of an empty bowl. "...um, Teuchi-san, could I have another?"

Ino's voice was louder than usual. "Kami, Naruto! How can you already be done?!"

O-DANZOSAMA-O

The four jonin stood uneasily in the Hokage's office, watching as their leader sat down slowly behind the desk, setting aside the hat of the position and examining each of them in turn.

Leaning against the wall, Kakashi Hatake met his leader's gaze placidly. He often found himself missing the old days, before the death of the Third Hokage. Sarutobi had often been exasperated with Hatake's lateness and excuses, but had tolerated such. Danzo wasn't someone to play around like that, unfortunately.

That didn't mean he was going to care about what Danzo wanted, but it wasn't worth getting the old warhawk all riled up. Besides, he usually left pissing Danzo off up to Obito, since he was so good at it.

He instead glanced over the others in the room, curious as to the collection of jonin here. As usual, none of them were from a clan – Danzo had done away with the very concept of 'minor' clans years ago, and only the Major Clans had any special rights nowadays.

Still, the group was rather … odd.

Anko Mitarashi was the former apprentice of the Snake Sannin, Orochimaru. Her loyalty had been savagely tested in the aftermath of her master's betrayal and death, but she had come through it, determined to prove herself and her dependability. She had succeeded in even winning over the ever-distrustful Danzo, and her presence in this room spoke of her progress. Kakashi was sad she no longer wore nothing but mesh and a skirt, but her more professional appearance nowadays bespoke of her not needing coping mechanisms as much. She was known for a focus on assassination, stealth, seduction, and poisons, as well as her lethal snake summons.

Kurenai Yuni was the daughter of one of the old-school shinobi who'd been tight with Danzo and his little clique back when the Second Hokage was still around, and the woman shared her father's nasty skills with genjutsu, especially chakra-parasitic layered genjutsu that only got worse the more you tried to dispel them. She was also rather skilled in diplomacy and etiquette, and an expert tracker and scout, but not much for direct combat – a curious specialization in the more military focus of Kohona's shinobi forces. She had barely made jonin a month before, however, and was considered somewhat green – making her an unlikely choice for jonin-sensei.

Ebisu Tsuku was a thin and delicate looking man specializing in the training of ninja, and was typically one of the instructors of the general ninja corps who showed a great deal of promise. While certainly not a powerhouse by any means, he was one of the few jonin who had experience and knowledge in wind, water and earth jutsu alongside the normal fire affinity, and was surprisingly nasty in the use of traps, ambushes and collaboration jutsu. He was especially skilled at conditioning, however, and had turned more than one seemingly unimpressive civilian cadet into nightmare shinobi.

Aoba Yamashiro was a tall, thin and somewhat aloof ninja who had only come back onto active duty after recovering from an A-ranked mission turned S-rank. Another genjutsu specialist, he was more well rounded than Kurenai – skilled in traps, mental invasion, forgery, and stealth, often combining his genjutsu and speed with such things to create truly ugly ambushes. He was also one of the few in the village who could combine kenjutsu with elemental attacks or even genjutsu, making him extremely lethal.

Danzo glanced at each of them in turn before opening the file folder on the desk. "The class for this year has produced a higher than expected number of talented recruits. The last three years of classes have produced a total of twenty three shinobi in apprenticeships – this year we have twelve students that qualify. Unfortunately, we only have nine qualified jonin, and four of those are borderline for the sort of experience an apprenticeship would entail."

Danzo's good hand turned the page. "Therefore, we will be reverting back to the traditional three-man genin teams as of this class, which is why you are here. You should have already received the information packets for each student."

Ebisu spoke up. "Hokage-sama, have you already designed teams, or is that something to establish in this meeting?"

Danzo gave a slow nod. "I have already put together potential teams based on skill level and the needs of the village. The first team would be Naruto Hyuuga, Sasuke Uchiha, and a civilian-born girl who made the cut, Sakura Haruno. Naruto would provide scouting and melee ability. Sasuke genjutsu defense and primary ninjutsu, and the girl has nearly perfect chakra control, making her useful for genjutsu support and medical jutsu. This would be a free-response team."

"The next team would be a heavy combat team, composed of Kiba Inuzuka, Kira Inuzuka, and Shikamaru Nara. The Nara would be the planner and use his Shadowbind to hold targets for the two Inuzuka to flank and attack. The boy is decent enough with fire jutsu for offensive ability and the girl is good at genjutsu, and they are trained to work as a single unit so breaking them up is pointless. The Inuzuka hounds would give the team a level of tracking capability if needed."

"The third team would be composed of Ino Yamanaka, Hinata Hyuuga, and Shino Aburame. This would most likely be an ambush and assassination unit. The Yamanaka mind jutsu combined with the Aburame barrier and insect techniques would allow for rapid scouting and information gathering, while the Hyuuga shows excellent prowess with the Juken and is being trained in medical ninjutsu as well."

"The final team would be a capture and containment team, comprised of Choji Akamichi, Sarakai Nara, and Kohonamaru Sarutobi. It is a slight modification of the Ino-Shika-Cho unit, swapping out the Yamanaka component for the Sarutobi's higher combat ability. The Nara would bind and the Sarutobi would be able to use heavy ninjutsu to hold off reinforcements or attackers while the Akamichi took out the primary target. The Nara girl has an interest in medicinal herbs and may want to look into medical jutsu or poisons as well."

Danzo closed the folder. "Some modifications to the teams is acceptable, but the teams as designed would give us exactly the components we need at this time." His good eye narrowed. "Team One would be trained by Kakashi. Team Two would be handed over to Aoba."

The Hokage leaned back slightly in his seat. "The best sensei for teams Three and Four is somewhat more difficult. Ideally, Anko would lead the third team and Ebisu the fourth, but the chakra control of the Yamanaka and the Hyuuga means that they could also become devastating genjutsu specialists."

Danzo glanced between Anko and Kurenai. "You two work well together, yes?"

Kuranai gave a single nod, while Anko looked amused. "Nai-chan and I make a good team, Hokage-sama."

Danzo nodded. "Very well. Kuranai, you will train Team Three along with Anko. When you are not engaged in such training, you will offer genjutsu and diplomatic training to team one. Assuming the teams perform well, this will be useful training for you and you will be assigned your own team on the next school cycle."

Kurenai bowed. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Danzo turned to Ebisu. "You will work with Team Four, but I would appreciate it you drew up a conditioning schedule for all four teams to adhere to. Your skills in pure training are highly effective."

Ebisu was astonished at such praise."Of course, Hokage-sama! I will begin immediately!"

Aoba rubbed his chin. "How is this supposed to work? Do we test them like back in the old days?"

Danzo shook his head. "No. Or rather, how you choose to train them is up to you, but you are not allowed to send them back to the general corps. The only real restriction I have for you is that they must be blooded in live combat and with a kill to their name in three months. We have no time to coddle them like children, the situation in Iwa and the uprising in Kiri is destabilizing faster than expected."

Danzo's eye narrowed. "There is also the rumor of a new Hidden Village somewhere in Rice, but so far our intelligence is sketchy. If it is true, then the situation in Grass and Tea is likely to become hot rather fast. Your teams may see full combat before the year is out if that happens, so train them accordingly."

"The students should be returning from lunch. You have your orders. Hatake, do not even think of being late."

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Hokage-sama."

Danzo glared. "You are even worse than Obito."

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Hokage-sama." Kakashi gave an eye-smile and vanished in a shunshin.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 _Some very minor OCs introduced here to round out some of the teams.  
_

 _I've changed around a few ages (Kohonamaru in particular) and made some adjustments to the skillsets of a few characters. Gai is apprenticing Rock Lee, Tenten is being apprenticed by Yugao, and Neji is being apprenticed by his father._

 _Yes, Obito is alive and in Kohona. I wonder who the Uchiha was that pulled the Kyuubi out of Kushina?_


	7. Meeting

_**A/N:** Short piece. Got bored at work and thought I'd do this. Author note about Obito at the bottom.  
_

* * *

Danzo looked out over the assembled ranks of the year's graduating class. Those who had decided to move on to a civilian finishing school had already departed, and now the children were lined up in neat military ranks. They had been issued their basic gear after their return from lunch, and now were prepared for their next step into the ninja world.

Each child had the same uniform – black shinobi styled pants, complete with rip-stop tape at the ankles, and black shinobi combat sandals with closed, blackened steel toes. Over this each one wore a form-fitting tight black mesh shirt, under a plain gray happi coat belted at the waist. The belt held one kunai pouch, one shuriken pouch, and a pouch on the back with basic supplies.

Clan members wore clan symbols on the back of the coat, everyone else had the Leaf insignia. The Uzumaki swirl was set into the belt buckle, a remembrance of their former allies. There were no unprofessional outfits, no long hair, and certainly no light or loud colors. Danzo didn't restrict how fully trained ninja of chunin rank or above decided to dress, but he would not let mere children prance around in bright colors.

Standing before him, they looked professional, perhaps slightly nervous but ready. Danzo gave himself a pleased nod, glancing over the ranks of the instructors behind him before speaking. "You have all chosen to devote yourself to the Great Tree. A sacrifice that you pay, so that those who do not do so may live in peace and tranquility. It is no exaggeration to say that those of you who stand before me should be proud of your achievements. Few are allowed to join the ranks of the defenders of Konoha. "

"The time for your training has both ended and begun. No longer are you merely children being assessed for the proper skills. Today you are more. Today you are no longer cadets. You are potential genin. Do not be ashamed if you were not chosen for the ranks of those who will work under a jonin sensei – all of you have the capacity to achieve any height you wish, if you merely put your will and heart into such. All of you can excel and become jonin, or ANBU, or hunter-nin."

"The next three years of your life will be devoted to learning the full depth of the shinobi arts. There was a time where we had the luxury to allow children to indulge and enjoy their childhood. A time where we could afford to let our genin relax, and train at the pace of their abilities. That time has passed. We face an uncertain, cruel and bloody world, one where Konoha alone stands for what should be."

He paused, good eye moving over the ranks. "When I was but a child, no older than you, the First Hokage did the unthinkable. He put aside his pride and joined forces with some of his clan's bitterest enemies, in hope of finding a path to peace. He made a place where small children were not thrown away in bitter revenge killings, but trained to defend their loved ones. He made a testament to the concept that there is more to the ninja world than blood, death, and suffering. This is how Konoha itself arose, from the Will of Fire. That love is the key to peace."

He gave a narrow, grim smile. "It is hard, for those of us who have seen nothing but war, to find such a thing. I have lost my father to war. My mother. Three brothers. My wife. Two of my sons. My arm, and my eye. I have lost friends, lovers, and treasured allies. I have fought and bled for Konoha for over fifty years...and there is not a single day I regret doing so."

His voice sharpened. "The Will of Fire is not something that is mere words. Suna believes that peace is but a time to rest and gather one's self for another attack. Kumo believes peace is weakness, and that only through constant war and strife can one find excellence. Kiri believes peace is a lie, that only blood and violence has meaning or truth. And Iwa … Iwa thinks peace is unnatural, in violation of the very nature that wears all things down to stone and rock over time."

"There are those who feel we can reach peace through understanding, or through economic ties, or through a display of might. They are wrong. Money, power, fear – these are tools. Much like the ninja themselves, tools cannot have a deeper meaning. Only through the understanding that we can only rely upon ourselves can we find victory, or meaning, in the sacrifices you make."

Danzo's expression flickered. "I say all of the above to remind you again what it is you do. You are the _weapons_ of this village. You are its sword and shield. You protect those of our village who cannot. You fight for Fire Country in ways the Daimyo and his samurai cannot. We will murder, lie, steal, cheat, and do anything and everything we must in order to win. Not because we are 'right', not because we are 'good' and other villages are 'evil', not because we follow orders."

"We do it because Konoha is the only village that believes in peace. Real peace, a peace made of both understanding and strength, not of exhaustion between wars, or of the manipulations of power and money. We are the only village that hopes that one day there will be a world where there is no fighting. I cannot imagine it. In that way, perhaps, I am … already sacrificed. I have spent all my life in the darkness of the shinobi world, the world you are about to enter into."

"And yet, for all that darkness, it allows the village to flourish. It allows our merchants to live in peace, our artisans to work and design, our medics to heal and care for others. It allows the younger generation to grow, to become more than the previous generation. That is what you fight for. Not money, glory, power – but for your fellow villagers."

"Those of you selected for the general shinobi ranks will train in everything you need to accomplish the missions you are sent on. Those of you selected for the ranks of the Silent will immerse yourself in the ways of the unseen. And those of you who excelled, will learn from some of our most skilled ninja. But all of you are equal – defenders of your home."

He made a brief gesture with his good hand, and the line of jonin stepped up. "Your classroom instructors will call your name, either for your class or to announce the sensei for your team. You are not shinobi yet. You have one final ordeal to pass – failure means you are unsuited for our ranks."

"Instructors, the students are yours." He stepped back, as the first of the jonin assigned to general classes called out ten names.

O-DANZOSAMA-O

Kakashi wasn't certain what exactly he'd expected from the three trainees assigned to him, but glancing over the file-folder in front of him, he admitted the brats at least had the potential to be talented. He still had a few minutes before the trio of children came into the classroom, and decided to go over the materials Danzo had prepared one more time.

A fake Hyuuga with the Kyuubi, an angry Uchiha with Kami only knows what kind of mental trauma, and a civilian-born girl that had beaten more than one clan member in both intellect and chakra control. The fact that all three of them held lightning affinities was no doubt one reason he was in charge of their training.

But hardly the only reason.

He knew, without even bothering to ask, that Danzo didn't like him very much, but the old man was too savvy to let potential weapons rust on the rack. By having him take a team of genin, especially this particular team, Danzo was sending him a message.

The message, unfortunately, was probably "I'm giving you a chance not to fuck this up, don't disappoint me."

Kakashi idly turned a page.

As an elite jonin, ANBU captain and of course wielder of a Sharingan, he was one of the few in the village to know Naruto's true identity. Enough seal-work had been done, on both the boy's clothes and other seals on his body, that unless you knew exactly what you were looking for realizing the boy held the Kyuubi would be impossible to see or sense.

If the report was right, and Kakashi knew it was, something about the sealing of the Kyuubi had interacted with the mismash of Uzumaki genetics and allowed the boy to utilize mokuton chakra. While unable to do much with it externally except help plants to flourish, the chakra acted like a barrier and a suppressor to the Kyuubi, keeping it dormant and the boy's system free of its vile chakra.

And unless the boy called on said chakra, even the finest examination by his Sharingan couldn't see the signs of youkai. That would be useful, he supposed. The Hyuuga had trained him in an older precursor to the Juuken forms, one that required large chakra reserves. Rather than sealing chakra points on the body, the boy could shove out blades of pure chakra and spikes that would tear through organs and limbs, or shatter most defensive jutsu.

If he channeled the youkai of the Kyuubi through such strikes, it would probably kill even a jonin in a single clean hit. The fact that he had a working Byakugan gave him even more flexibility. Combining his fighting style with lightning – or the Chidori – would be devastatingly lethal. Having a staggering three affinities was just gravy on top of everything else Naruto had – chakra reserves bigger than most jonin, chunin level speed, and of course the health regeneration and toughness all jinchuriki had.

Sasuke was perhaps a more challenging task to sort through. The boy had never quite gotten over the mess of the Uchiha Massacre, although the remainder of his living family had at least stopped him from becoming some kind of cold-blooded revenge fanatic.

Sasuke didn't have the Sharingan activated yet, although both Shisui and Kagami felt it likely that it may have activated in the chaos of the massacre and he'd merely suppressed it. Sasuke's records showed he was very good in every field the Academy put them through – taijutsu, genjutsu, basic ninjutsu, basic medical chakra creation (if it wasn't done when you were young you'd never pick it up), and the very simple sealing tags.

His other skills were equally impressive. Kagami and Mikotu had drilled his kenjutsu and shurikenjutsu to a high degree, and of course Shisui had taught the brat more fire jutsu that was probably sane, not to mention the shinshun and several related tricks.

The civilian, Sakura... meh.

She had talent, true, but with a civilian background and no clan support she'd be the weakest link. Her chakra control and mastery of the admittedly very simple medical techniques taught in the Academy would be perfect for a support role, and her genjutsu were very well done. Her stamina and strength were subpar, however, and she'd probably need support to pass the final test.

He sighed, and glanced to his right. "What do you think?"

The slender man sitting in the wheelchair next to him gave a jerky shrug. The right side of his face was badly scarred, the flesh around his working eye sagging and his nose misshapen. The eyepatch covering his missing eye rose slightly as he waggled his eyebrows. "Kashi, I think this is the stupidest idea Danzo-yaro ever came up with, and he thought it was a good idea to piss off Kumo."

Obito Uchiha tapped one of the report pages from the file. "I can't believe he actually agreed to let me help you."

Kakashi gave a cheerful eye-smile, his voice full of amusement. "I told him I couldn't imagine being on time unless you were with me."

Obito stared at him. Kakashi stared back.

"... and people say I'm the baka in this team?" He glanced up, as the door opened, and Kakashi swept all the papers on the desk into a pile and back into the leather case they came in.

Three black-clad figures entered the room, coming to a halt in front of them. "Genin Naruto Hyuuga, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno, present taichou-sensei."

Kakashi glanced over the three of them and nodded, noting Sasuke's surprised expression at seeing his cousin. "Very good. I am takai-jonin Kakashi Hatake, and this is tokubetsu-jonin Obito Uchiha. I am your sensei, Obito is the sidekick."

Obito gave him The Look. "See if I give up an eye for you again, teme."

Kakashi ignored him, happy his mask concealed his smirk. "You are going to be Team Seven. Danzo-sama wanted Team One, but that sounds so boring. Plus, Team Seven is something of a tradition. The Sandaime was on Team Seven, the Sannin were a Team Seven, the Yondaime was on Team Seven."

He gave a glance directly at Naruto, who swallowed and nodded. Good, that meant Hiashi-sama had done his part. Saved him from a really awkward conversation.

Obito grinned, or at least the undamaged half of his face did. "So, kiddos, I'm the tag-along, and we'll both be training you. As a free-response team, you have to be able to do anything – heavy combat, reconnaissance, diplomacy, capture and interrogation, the works. You'll be training pretty hard from now on, and you're expected to be the best."

Kakashi noted the look of panicked fear on the face of Sakura. "Mah, mah, Obito, don't scare them so much at first." He exhaled and pointed. "So! Let's get to know each other and then we'll talk about what's next! You start, pinky. Name, background, strengths, likes, dislikes, dreams."

Sakura nervously licked her lips and bowed. "Hai, sensei. I am Sakura Haruno. My family is civilian, but my ancestors were ninja and samurai. My strengths, according to Iruka-sensei, are chakra control and genjutsu, along with my memory. I like sakura flowers, trivia games, and studying medical techniques. I dislike... people who assume I'm silly because of my hair color. My dream is to become a competent kunochi and a medical-nin." She bowed again.

Obito waggled his hand. "Good professionalism. Not enough comedy. Favorite food?"

"Um...umeboshi. Or dango. Anko dango, preferably."

Obito snickered. "Anko-sempai will love that."

Kakashi shook his head. "Quite, Obidiot." He ignored Obito's pout and pointed. "Next, Mr. Happy."

Sasuke's frown intensified, and he didn't bow. "I am Sasuke Uchiha, of the Uchiha Clan. My strengths are speed and reflexes and my command of fire ninjutsu." He paused, sneering. "My only weakness is that I haven't achieved my Sharingan yet. I like training, tomatoes, taking walks in nature, and my mother. I dislike traitorous assholes who murder their relatives. My dream is to return the Uchiha to a place of prominence, and to bring my murdering piece of shit brother to justice." He ended with a defiant glare.

Obito chuckled. "Boy, get in line. We're all gonna take turns beating the crap of out Itachi when we find him. I guess we can let you be the one to drag him back in the gates by his hair or something. Oh, he's not kidding when he says he likes tomatoes. You can bribe him – "

"Shut up, Bito-nii!"

Kakashi giggled. "Finally, the guy named after ramen."

Naruto hissed. "It's spelled with the kanji for maelstrom". He huffed, then took on a serene expression, remembering his training. "I am Naruto Hyuuga. I am a … member of the Hyuuga Clan, the top clan in the village." He grinned at the glares from Obito and Sasuke and continued. "My strength is my chakra capacity and density, and my stamina and durability. My weakness is my Byakugan is among the weakest in the clan, with a somewhat short range, and poor chakra control. I like raising plants, Hinata-chan, Ino-chan, Shino-san, my clan, and ramen." He frowned. "I dislike... cruelty. My dream..."

He paused. "My dream was once just to be an outstanding shinobi. I learned some things in the past few days that make me wonder. For now, my dream is to protect my village."

Kakashi nodded solemnly. The kid did that every day just by living. "Good, good. Now, a few things. First, you are all only 'prospective' genin in theory." He held up a hand. "There's a test you have to pass in order to proceed. If you can't bring yourself to complete it, then you cannot be a ninja."

Naruto frowned. "What kind of test, some kind of survival exam? Or like the old days where you tested teamwork and stuff?"

Obito and Kakashi both gave sad smiles. "No, not like those. Pity, the bell test would be great."

Kakashi got up to stand behind Obito's wheelchair. "Meet us at training ground seven at nine in the morning tomorrow for the test. I won't tell you what it is or what it consists of, only that you can't study or prepare for it. It is a test of character and determination."

He let his eye drift over all three of them. "Dismissed. I recommend getting to know each other a bit better, and getting a good night's rest." He placed his hands on the wheel chair and began wheeling Obito out.

The door closed behind them as the three genin stood there, until Naruto spoke. "I'm not sure about the two of you, but I think we should sit down and plan how to deal with this test."

Sakura turned to face him. "We don't know what the test will be about though. How do we prepare, he said we couldn't study for it."

Sasuke shook his head. "Hn. That means it's not testing our skills or knowledge, but our ability to do something or endure something. It doesn't matter. I have to pass and become a ninja. I have to avenge my family."

Naruto gave him a sidelong look then a nod. "...fair enough. Even if we can't prepare, we need to know what each other can do. Let's head over and find this training ground so we won't have to stumble around looking for it tomorrow, and we can discuss what we can do on the way."

Sasuke didn't really want to socialize, but he also knew going home wasn't an option right now. "Fine." He gave a careful look at Sakura, who merely met his gaze curiously, then nodded. "At least neither of you are morons like Kiba or half-asleep like the Nara idiots."

Naruto chuckled. "Thanks..I think?"

* * *

 _A/N: Yes, Obito lives. He was crippled by the cave in and thought he was going to die so he gave his eye to Kakashi via Rin. Then the Fourth showed up and managed to save him, but his face was damaged and he's paralyzed below the waist._

 _Kakashi and Obito now both operate on Obito time. Rin is still dead._


End file.
